Secrets of the Forgotten Akato Family
by MikiMiki-chan
Summary: T for violence and language, though nothing much worse than the Bleach anime. OC but hopefully no OOC!  Retsu thought her life was complicated enough after the disappearance of her parents. But in Karakura Town, she'll discover many more complications...
1. Chapter 1: A Bit of Trouble

Chapter 1: A Bit of Trouble

_Surrounded, doomed: encircled by death. Cacophonous cries, bloodthirsty: for my blood and my blood alone. There is no escape. Imminent death. That was my fate the moment these creatures came before me. Their eyes stare through me. Yellow eyes: surrounded by black corneas and the stark white bone of a skull. Voids have replaced where their hearts might have been. For a moment I feel a vague sense of sympathy for these heartless creatures that know only hunger. And, of course, blood lust. Sympathy has no room in me now as terror reigns over. The moment has come. The beasts move in. The sun is eclipsed by night. The agonizing sound of…my alarm clock?_

"Beep! Beep! Beep!" trills the alarm from a clock that reads 5:00. Startled by the sound, the still half-asleep teenager shoves away her ensnaring bed sheets to reach over to the source of the obnoxious sound. Finding it with one hand, she slaps the clock until it is submitted into silence while the other tries to rub the sleep from her eyes. With a huge yawn, the adolescent sits up to avoid returning to her frightful slumber.

_Just weird ass dreams. That's all they are, Retsu. Get a grip_, she thinks irritably. But she still can't shake off the ominous threat of prophecy. _Just a dream_, she repeats in her head. _A shower is all I need_. After a quick face rub, the youth rises from the sunken mattress, stretches out her still waking muscles, and then heads to the bathroom down the hall. To her surprise, the water of the shower is already running.

"What the… It's five in the morning, who the hell is taking a shower?" she mutters to herself, perplexed more than annoyed. Without a second thought she dashes silently down the hall to her younger siblings' room. Quietly, she pokes her head into the slightly open doorway. On the left she sees a bunk bed. From her perspective she can see that her younger brother, whom is fast asleep, occupies the top bed. But the bottom bunk, usually filled by her younger sister, is vacant. Now her annoyance quickly overcomes her perplexity. With all haste the teen sprints back down the hallway to the bathroom door.

"Dammit Sera! It's five in the morning, this is when I take a shower!" she shouts, trying the doorknob, which doesn't budge, so she pounds on the door instead. "Open up! You're using up the hot water and you don't have to be at school for another four hours!"

"Too bad!" yells a tiny voice in response. Before screaming back a furious response, the older of the two bites her lip to stop and think. _Mom wouldn't be happy that I'm yelling at her like this,_ she reflects with a twinge of sadness and regret. _…I'm going to have to just be a bit smart here._

"Sera, remember, if you're naughty then Santa is going to give you coal instead of presents this Christmas!" No more than a few seconds have to pass before the water turns off.

"I don't want coal!" the teen's sister bawls from inside the bathroom.

"Then get dry, put your P.J's on and go back to bed missy. Understand?"

With a sniff, the child complies with her older sister's commands. A minute later she opens the door, her polka dotted pajamas back on.

"That's better," consoles the older girl, squatting down to lovingly ruffle her sibling's wet, chestnut hair. "Now go on and get to bed." Without removing her thumb from her mouth, or the pout on her face, the child stomps down the small hall to her shared bedroom.

_Weirdest seven-year-old ever… Still sucks her thumb, but prefers showers to bubble baths._ After a brief shake of the head and a sigh, the teen goes into the steamy bathroom to begin getting ready for the day ahead.

Karakura High School. The dark-haired teen started attending this school almost a month ago, during the middle of first semester, but it had yet to start to feel like a second home. _Maybe if I could just make a few friends…_the girl thinks sullenly as she takes out the material she'll need for the morning classes from her locker. Students around her mingle easily, some flirt; couples publicly display their affection. With a disgusted look, she glares at a couple much too close to her.

"Excuse me," she growls raucously, but is ignored. Voice nearly raising an octave, she shouts, "Excuse me!" The two teens glance at her nonchalantly, looking bothered even; driving Retsu's fury. "Get the hell away from my locker and get a goddamn room would you!"

"Geez, what a brat," says the girl in the male's arms, as if the steaming adolescent wasn't even there. The boy nods slightly in agreement, looking at neither of them, then takes his time walking away with his girl. Retsu slams her locker shut.

"Bunch of freaking _pricks_ here. No wonder I don't have any friends. I'd rather _kill_ these people than be _friends_ with them," she snarls to herself.

**Brrrrring!**

The sudden trill of the tardy bell startles the girl.

"Crap!" she exclaims, almost starting to run but instead stops and sighs. "I'm already late, no point rushing," the teen explains to herself, then heads for class at a more reasonable pace. _And I should probably stop talking to myself if I want any normal friends_, she considers with a touch of worry.

As she approaches her classroom, she can see through the door's window that the teacher is reading the morning announcements. No one really seems to be paying any attention to the aging educator. _And hopefully they won't pay attention to me either_.

With careful dexterity, she silently slides the door open just enough to fit through, slips inside, and then slides it shut. Just after she finds her seat, the teacher finishes reading and begins taking attendance. _Good timing,_ she thinks, bemused. Everyone turns around in his or her seat to face the front and look at the teacher, whom clears his throat and begins calling out student's names. _And no one seems to have noticed… Mission accomplished._

Her name is third on the list, since it's in order of last name. Just as she is about to respond "here" a voice booms from the back of the class, "Akato was _late._"Without needing a moment to think, she recognizes the voice. _Reiichi,_ she snarls in her mind. The class turns their attention on her, even the teacher glances up from the list. The girl says nothing.

"Ms. Akato? Were you late? I wasn't even paying attention…" Honest to a T, the girl replies with a sigh. "Yes. I was." Just imagining the look of triumph on that bastard Reiichi's face right about now makes her blood boil. _That face won't last long_, she promises to herself.

"Thank you for your honesty," says the teacher, marking her tardy. _Go to hell_ is her mind's response, but she simply nods at him. Once he finishes all the homeroom activities, he leaves; and Retsu's thoughts immediately switch back over to the incident. _It's all because I made fun of his ridiculous bleached hair of his that one time. Then when he tried to get me, he couldn't get me out of that tree…_ She smirks at the memory. _Well if revenge is what he's after… He ain't getting it._ Even when the first period teacher arrives and begins the lesson of the day, the clock ticking away is all the girl can focus on. Lunch is when she'll be able to teach the blockhead a lesson. Throughout her contemplating, consequences never even pass through her mind—though it's questionable if she even cares: vengeance has become her top priority.

All through her morning classes the girl keeps her head down and does her work quickly, so she can spend the rest of her time plotting her nemesis' demise. Before long, it's lunch. The dismissal bell rings and the students flood out, including the teacher, eager to enjoy every minute of their thirty-minute break. Heart pounding in anticipation, the vengeful girl sits patiently, waiting for her prey to pass by her desk. When he finally does, she cocks her head slightly his direction but keeps her eyes down on the desk.

"Never thought you were so observant, Blondie. Or that you cared so much for the rules… Teacher's pet," she sneers venomously. The hulking adolescent, having just passed her desk, turns around with a menacing aura.

"What was that, woman?" he asks dangerously. Jaw clenched, vein protruding, the girls stands impudently.

"You heard me," she says, her shoulders back and her spine erect.

"I heard you asking for a beating," he growls, leaning forward slightly. The girl, nearly a head and a half shorter, goes for the kill.

"Really? That's what you asked as soon and you opened your big ass mouth this morning. Is that really your idea of revenge anyway? Getting me marked tardy? Ooh, how scandalous of you," she mocks, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"That's it!" The male cracks his thick knuckles, gargantuan muscles flexing. Before he can even draw his arm back, the girl's fist is slamming into his jaw. Snarling angrily, he swings at her. Being quick on her feet, the girl evades by leaning back. Going for her gut this time, he puts all his weight into a forward thrust. Reacting fast, she side steps in evasion, then grabs his fist. Using his forward momentum, she flings him to the ground and into the desks. Students hear the commotion and being gathering at the door though they are unnoticed by the teens duking it out in the classroom.

With heightened fury, the male gets off the ground and lifts one of the desks he collided with. Using all his might, he hurls it at the girl with a heated snarl of anger. Letting out a yelp of surprise, the girl leaps out of the way just in time; allowing the desk to smash into the wall. She quickly gets to her feet and instantly has to jump back to avoid a chair. Wielding the seat as a weapon, the male swings it at the girl again with hard determination to break her. At the very last moment, she grabs a nearby chair and holds it up to her defense. The blow she endures brings her to her knees, arms shaking from the effort.

"Die!" bellows the man, striking the chairs together again and again. Hardly able to withstand the crushing blows, the girl thrusts her chair at the man in a last ditch effort. It's just enough to catch him off guard and lose his balance. Not hesitating a second, the girl launches herself at the male. By some luck she manages to knock him to ground, and again not wasting any time, she throws punches at his face in quick succession.

Only a few hit before a fast swing of his arm connects with her cheek and sends her flying off him. She tries to roll and land on her feet, but the blow leaves her dizzy and unable to balance. While she lay on the floor, the man gets up from the ground: nose and lip bleeding. The girl's only injury is her torn cheek: just opened by the man's heavy hands. Both wipe the blood from their faces and prepare to go at each other again.

They square up and the boxing match begins. Punches, kicks and jabs are thrown; the male takes each hit without so much as flinching and the girl manages to dodge most of the man's strikes. That is until she slips up; earning a gut-busting jab to the stomach that sends her to the floor with a groan. A bark of laughter escapes the bloody lips of the man.

"Hah! Now say your prayers…" He pulls brass knuckles out of his pocket and fits them onto his muscular hands. With a sadistic smile he raises a hand, intended for her spine, when suddenly police sirens sound. Freezing, except for his widening eyes, the male aborts on his finishing blow and flees the scene: along with all of the spectators. Well, almost all of them. But the bystander goes unnoticed by the wounded warrior.

_Crap,_ thinks the girl, still clutching her stomach and gasping breathlessly as a fish out of water would. _Air…_ Her request goes unheard for a few more agonizing seconds. Finally, moments before she loses consciousness, she's able to intake a sharp breath. But only a few are taken in before police burst into the room.

"Freeze!" they yell at her. One goes to her side, weapon at the ready, while the others inspect the room. _Great_. _Just great_, she broods, choking back her tears and the blood seeping into her mouth. "Don't move," warns the officer by her side.

_Wasn't planning on it_.

"The other suspect seems to have taken off. You three go search the building, I'll call for backup then follow you," one says. Three of them nod and take off while the other pulls out his walkie-talkie. All run right passed the last remaining bystander without notice. His glasses reflect enough light to obscure his eyes, which shift over to look inside the room. Retsu immediately glances up without moving her head. The obscuring glint fades long enough for the two to make eye contact for a moment, her hazel eyes locking onto his dark blue ones; then the student leaves.

_What…what the hell was that?_ She ponders, still staring at where the student had stood. Suddenly the officer beside her grabs her underarm and pulls her off the ground. "You're coming with me. Remember that you have the right to remain silent, and anything you say can be used against you in the court of law." _Court of law my ass, I'm only 16. Idiot._ With shaking legs and teeth clenched in pain, she silently follows the official outside.

"What is going on here?" asks Karakura High School's principal: AKA the man who gave Retsu the scholarship that allowed her to come to this school.

_And things just got better._

"Retsu? Retsu Akato?" The student addressed tries to respond, but only manages to spit up the blood in her mouth and cough. Both adults look surprised.

"Officer! What is going on?" shouts the principal, his tone escalating.

"Well, we had a call about two students beating the living daylights out of each other—one large blonde haired male and a brown haired female. When we arrived on the scene, only she was here, so we're taking her into custody while we search for the other suspect."

"Sir, disciplinary action of students at this school during school hours is my responsibility, so you won't be taking her anywhere. I appreciate your help in looking for the other student in this fight but if you don't mind, let me do my job in punishing these juveniles." The police officer pauses.

"Well… alright. I guess that does make sense."

"Thank you for understanding." The officer nods and hands the student over to the principal then departs. Looking upon his face she sees not anger, only disappointment. Guilt makes her sick to her stomach. _That's it. My life is over._

"Let's get you to the nurse first. We might have to call the hospital," the man says calmly. They begin the walk there, but a few steps later the trauma done to the teen's body finally catches up with her and she loses consciousness.


	2. Chapter 2: The Nightmare Begins

Chapter 2: The Nightmare Begins

"_Time's up Retsu…" My feet are pounding against the earth. The wind is roaring past my ears. "Why are you running?" Air darts into my lungs with my quick, shallow breaths. Trees flash by as if they're running past me as well: running away from what I'm running to. I try to find one I can go into. "What, you gonna hide?_

_You can't hide from me."_

"_Who are you?" I yell into the screaming wind._

"_I am…you," it whispers back. Suddenly a sharp pain explodes in my chest. I look down. Protruding from my chest is a dagger, stained with my blood. The blade twists, splitting my sternum and cracking my clavicles with a sickening crunch. I open my mouth to scream—_

"Aaahh!" Retsu screams, bolting up into a sitting position. Panting, she looks about the room. _…Hospital. I'm in a hospital,_ she deduces. A pause. "I'm in a hospital!" she abruptly shouts. In a panic she gets out of the bed, taking the IV she failed to notice with her. The delicately placed needle in her arm tears open a cut in her forearm from being awkwardly yanked out. Ignoring the new injury, the panicked juvenile quickly tears the remaining monitors off of her. This causes the all the monitors' alarms to sound.

While holding her bleeding forearm she flees the scene before the nurses arrive. But obviously she doesn't get far without being noticed by every other nurse and doctor passing through the hallways. Most stare in shock at the sight of the disheveled, bleeding teen sprinting down the hallway in nothing but a hospital gown and underwear. One has the sense to call up security and they arrive within the minute.

"I have to get back to school!" Retsu's yells incoherently as the guards pull her away from the elevator doors. "Let go!"

"Ma'am, it's late in the evening. You can't go back to school. Please calm down."

"But I… Did you say it's late in the evening?" The guard nods.

"I have to get home! My brother! My sister!" she bellows, futilely thrashing in the large man's grip.

"Calm down ma'am or we'll be forced to sedate you."

"Sedate me? I'm not freaking crazy; I just need to get home! My sister is only seven and my brother is twelve. He's not old enough to take care of her!"

"I'm sure your parents will be home by this time of night."

"My parents are dead asshole!" He pauses for a second.

"Sorry. Well if that's the case I'm sure they're in someone's care…"

_Yeah, the _orphanage's_ care!_ "Just let me go." A doctor rounds the corner before the guard can respond. She blinks and looks at the teen, adjusting her glasses.

"What's going on here? Oh, if it isn't Ms. Akato. Well, it seems you're…awake."

"No kidding," the patient bites back caustically.

"Quite. Anyway, you're staying the night here," responds the doctor calmly before flipping up a page on her clipboard to check the paper underneath.

"Excuse me?"

The doctor goes on without pause. "Tomorrow you will be taken to court, where a decision on your further education and the fate of the siblings in your care will be determined," she reads. "The worst case scenario is that you're expelled and your siblings are given up for adoption." Retsu's heart stops cold. "Your best bet is that you get off with a warning and your siblings be temporarily held at the orphanage until you get your act together."

_Sarah…Aaron. I'm so sorry. I really screwed up, didn't I? And I had promised… Damn it._

Seeing the immediate drop in the girl's face, the doctor lightens up from bad cop to good cop. "Hey, don't be so glum. I'm sure they'll let you off easy if you're a good student and haven't gotten in much trouble before this. It'll be all right. Now just go on to bed now and get a good night's sleep so you can be perky for court tomorrow. Okay?"

The girl nods numbly, slouches out of the security guard's grip, and dejectedly goes back to her hospital room. _Perky, huh…_

_No thanks._

Juvenile Court. Not somewhere Retsu ever thought she would be. But here she was. Reiichi is here too at least, along with Karakura's principal and some other staff.

At the end of a long day of debate, a decision is reached.

Retsu will be transferred to class 1-3 to separate her and Reiichi.

Reiichi will be under house arrest for the possession of weapons at school.

Retsu will have her siblings removed from her household and held at the orphanage for a minimum of one month. Further time may be allotted if there is another disturbance; also, they will be put up for adoption if at any time the court decides Retsu an unfit guardian.

_So basically, no pressure: right? Yeah. That's called sarcasm._

Being the stubborn but sensitive type, Retsu's tears start up easily but the teen refuses to cry in public. So, as soon as court is dismissed and before anyone can come up and talk to her to trigger the humiliating fountain show, she leaves.

The walk home is dreary. Being early evening in the middle of winter, it's already quite dark. Though it still would be dark even if the sun were still out, because the clouds fill the sky with their voluminous gray. Light rain, almost a mist, falls from them. There is no wind; so the air is stagnant, damp, and cold. With a shiver, Retsu clutches her thick trench coat closer.

When she arrives home, no one is there. The water works finally start up. Without making a sound, the teen goes up to her room and collapses on the bed. Shoes still on her feet and tears still on her face, she blacks out.

The next day, Retsu gets ready in a fog. The train ride to school is a blur. It's not until she walks almost all the way to her old classroom that her conscious mind wakes up. _Oh. Right… I go to class 1-3 now._ With a sigh, she heads off to the other side of the school to reach her new classroom.

When she gets there, homeroom is almost over but she walks right in anyway. The teacher and most of the class look over, startled, when the door flies open with an audible _whoosh_. An anger vein pops up on the teacher's head.

"Excuse me, what do you think you're doing interrupting my class?" she asks indignantly.

"Showing up. This is my new class," Retsu replies nonchalantly.

"You mean that you're my new student?" They share a glance.

"Sure lady."

"That's Ms. Ochi to you, Retsu Akato," she bites back, reading the student's name from a note the principal had given her that morning. "Now find a seat and shut your trap. I'd like to do my job now."

After grunting in response, the teen locates an empty seat behind a kid with glasses reading. Beside the empty desk sits a girl with orange hair and humongous boobs. _Those can't be real,_ Retsu can't help but think, her eye twitching once. Quickly she puts her stuff on the desk and sits down.

"Are you a new student?" asks the orange-haired girl.

"Yeah, I'm from a different planet. My ship crashed here last week," the brown-haired teen responds mockingly.

"Huuh?" coos the more voluptuous of the two, obviously not fluent in sarcasm.

"I transferred from another class," Retsu puffs.

"Ooh! That…makes more sense," she giggles.

_No shit Sherlock!_

The fuming teen turns her attention away from the giggling girl to focus on her books. Just to make it look like she's doing something and isn't able to talk, she opens one and starts flipping through it. But her plan fails.

"So, what's your name?"

"Retsu," she responds curtly through her teeth.

"Oh," says the other, catching her irritated vibes. "I'm Orihime. Sorry to bother you," she whispers, returning her attention to her own desk.

_What is with the people at this school? Are they all insane?_

Just as her thought is over she feels eyes on her back. Menacing aura surrounds her and she turns her head to look out of the corner of her eye at the person behind her. A really big, tan guy looks back at her: his chocolate brown hair obscuring one of his eyes.

Gritting her teeth is the only thing that keeps her from snapping at him for staring at her for no reason. Taking a deep breath, she quickly turns back around to face the teacher. _Just make it through the day, and the next day and the next; until 30 days is up. Keep control for one month… I can do it. I have to. To get my family back._ Without realizing it, she clenches her fist so hard that her nails break skin.

The next few classes are agonizing for Retsu; she can't focus on any of the tasks on hand. The only thing her mind can focus on is her brother and sister being in that orphanage. Being picked on by other kids, fed disgusting food, having to share a bed and a fire with all the other kids: and this fire was the only thing keeping the icy wind that seeps through the cracks in the walls at bay, because otherwise this artic chill would bring about a slow painful death by hypothermia.

Of course, Retsu had never actually seen the orphanage… So all of that is just a figment of her imagination. But the visuals, albeit fabricated, keep her so anxious that her fingernails quickly became nubs. Suddenly, she realizes that she's back in her homeroom but no class is going on.

"Huh?" A quick scan of the room shows that about half the class is still there: the clock shows her that it's lunch break. The other half of the class must be either buying a lunch or have friends in other classes that they eat with.

Then the kids recapture her attention; the orange-haired girl—_what was her name again?_—is looking over at the brooding teen. But once their eyes meet, the orange-haired girl quickly looks away in embarrassment and slight fear.

A sour look sets itself on Retsu's face and she continues to look at the girl. _Am I missing something here?_

Out of nowhere a red-haired girl with glasses practically flies across and room and tackles the blushing carrot-top.

"Himeee~! You are so cute when you blush like that!" squeals the redhead, sort of rubbing her cheek on Orihime's bosom. Before the molestation victim can even react, another girl with short black hair karate kicks the pervert away from Orihime.

"What do you think you're doing Chizuru!"

"A-ah, Tatsuki…" mutters Orihime.

The redhead, Chizuru, and the black-haired teen, Tatsuki, begin bickering. Retsu sits there staring at them as if they'd started pulling lobsters out their asses. _I just had to get put in the class with all the freaks, didn't I? This is going to be a long…long month._

After a minute or so of their bickering, Retsu's short fuse burns up.

Slamming down her fists on her desk and standing up, she screams, "Would you two SHUT _UP_ already!" Both girls stop and look over in surprise. Chizuru looks frightened and backs away; but Tatsuki is unperturbed.

"What's your problem, huh?"

"Loudmouths like you arguing over nothing being in my class, that's my problem!"

"Oh yeah?" The black-haired teen challenges.

"No, I'm just blowing smoke up your ass," the brunette sneers caustically.

Orihime is looking between the two with concern as the tension mounts, when a voice comes from the hallway.

"Hey, what's going on in here?" Retsu's eyes snap over to the door, and they meet the brown eyes of a male with bright orange hair. Beside him are three other guys; the huge tan guy from earlier, and two average looking guys: one with black hair and one with brown hair.

Tatsuki is brought out of the torrent of rage that had formed between her and Retsu, and looks over at the gang.

"Oh, nothing Ichigo," replies Orihime with a nervous laugh.

"Is that so?" he murmurs, still looking at Retsu. His eyes are steady and very cold. Retsu senses the soft emotions as well as the anger behind the façade. All indicate that this male sees her as a threat to his friends, and that does _not_ sit well with him. _Overprotective much?_ she thinks to herself, returning his look with one of contempt.

"No, no everything's fine really! Right Tatsuki?" Said teen nods in agreement.

"Well okay then. We're all heading up to the roof if you want to come along," the carrot-top says and then walks away; followed by his group. Retsu sits back at her desk as she watches them walk away. Her eyes return to the books on the desk, opened to random pages.

"C'mon, let's go Orihime," says Tatsuki, grabbing her bento.

"But…" she mutters, hesitantly holding her lunch bag; which contains a full loaf of cinnamon bread, wasabi, and honey mustard sauce.

"But what? What's the matter?" In response, the girl's eyes shift over to the teen sitting alone at her desk, staring at her books. "What, her? She'll be fine. Probably just disappointed she didn't get a fight out of that. C'mon, the guys are waiting for us."

"Right…" Orihime mumbles. Glancing back one last time, she secures her lunch and follows Tatsuki up to the rooftop square. But just before she gets out the door, she seems to suddenly remember something. She stops and turns around.

"Uryu! Aren't you coming too?" The teen sitting in front of Retsu adjusts his glasses then looks over. _What the? It's…it's that guy! The one that I saw outside of the classroom, just after the fight was over…_

"I'm pretty sure I wasn't invited," he responds.

"Oh, don't be silly. I'm sure Ichigo won't mind, we are all friends after all. Come on, it'll be fun!"

"…All right then." He grabs his lunch and follows after her.

_This is so weird. It's just not adding up in my head… Creeper + staring people + all friends = …? Am I suddenly a mutant? Is a third eye growing on my forehead?_ Sighing, the teen puts her head down on her desk and gives up.

Eventually, all of the students return and class resumes. Retsu keeps her head on the desk, and the teachers know better than to bother her, so she stays like for the rest of the day. Her orange-haired neighbor worriedly glances over on occasion. Seeing someone so lonely never sat well with her.

When the end of the day comes, Retsu finally lifts her head but doesn't get up from her seat like everyone else. As people start heading out the door she finally starts gathering her things. Orihime lingers at her desk as well, and Tatsuki goes over to her.

From across the room they all suddenly hear, "So I went to that Karaoke place and it's true! The hostess _is_ super-hot! I mean she was—are you listening Mizuiro!" An animated brunette flails around vivaciously in front of his shorter, black-haired friend.

"Yes that's very nice Mr. Asano," he replies, obviously more interested in his phone than his rabid raving friend.

"Waaahhh! Why do you have to be so formal? Well whatever I'll just tell my story to Ichigo! Hey Ichigo, guess what? I went to this Karaoke and—"

"Yeah, that's nice Keigo," the carrot-top interrupts.

"Waaahhh? You guys are so cruel!" the brunette shrieks. "Aren't they just terrible Chad!" The much larger brunette just grunts. Keigo faints dramatically.

Retsu turns her attention to the closer side of the room. Chizuru is stalking the shadows, waiting for an opening in Tatsuki's guard to ambush Orihime. Her eyes shine with an evil glint and she crouches, ready to pounce. Retsu stares at her for a moment then bluntly asks, "Uh, what the hell are you doing you pedophile?"

Chizuru does an overdramatic shush, earning the attention of Orihime and Tatsuki. Ambush: Failed.

"I'm not doing anything! I was just going to ask my lovely Hime if she wanted to go to the Drawing and Painting Club with me!" she swoons.

"Drawing and Painting…? That could be fun! I do like drawing," Orihime says with a nervous laugh. Mizuiro is suddenly in on the conversation.

"I heard that club is currently studying the anatomy part of drawing."

"The anatomy of drawing?" asks Tatsuki.

"Yeah, the anatomy of people in drawings. So people draw each other, probably in skimpy outfits," he says flatly. Chizuru has a nosebleed.

"No way are you going to that Orihime! Let's just go already," grumbles Tatsuki, pulling the busty girl away from the horny adolescent and over to the guys. The group talks amongst itself. Orihime waits for Uryu to come join the group, and also looks at Retsu for a while. The brunette girl doesn't look up at her, so she gives up trying to ask her to socialize.

Retsu eventually gathers her belongings and leaves the classroom. Stomach churning from worry for her siblings, she quickly heads out of the school. Unbeknownst to her, she is being watched.

"That poor girl. It doesn't look like she has any friends…" says Orihime as she stands by a window, gazing out of it at the lone teen.

"Well, she does seem to start up fights all of the time. It's not really surprising she doesn't have any friends," adds Mizuiro.

"Yeah! I wouldn't be her friend! She's scaaaa_ry_! As scary as Ichigo even!" wails Keigo, earning a dirty look from mentioned carrot-top. "But I feel pretty safe with Chad around!" shouts Keigo, patting the Mexican on the shoulder and laughing. Seeing the others have become momentarily distracted, Uryu turns his attention from the window to Ichigo and pulls him aside.

"I'm pretty sure you haven't noticed, but that girl they're talking about has substantial spiritual pressure—as of yesterday. She's always had a bit more spiritual energy than most people, though not much, so I didn't think anything of it…but yesterday, after that fight, it all suddenly concentrated," he says in a hushed voice. The pumpkin-head looks confused.

"…What? And what do you mean you're sure I hadn't noticed?" he asks indignantly. Uryu sighs and shakes his head.

"Let's not argue right now. I'm just letting you know because now it's more likely for a Hollow to go after her."

"Right…"

"And what are _you_ two talking about huh? Not planning a secret romantic getaway are you!" inquires Keigo, popping up from behind Ichigo.

"Shut up Keigo," growls Ichigo as he backhand punches Keigo in the face. The brunette wails dramatically and flings himself backwards as blood shoots out his nose.

"You really should control that imagination of yours, Mr. Asano," chimes Mizuiro.

"It's called a joke! A joke! You people are heartless I sweeaaarrr!" whines Keigo. Orihime giggles.

"Well, we should probably get going to our club activities now," she reminds them. There is a consensual agreement, and then they all depart. As soon as they get out the door, however, Ichigo's Battle Pass starts blinking. Uryu, Chad, and Orihime look over; knowing what it means.

"Hey, I'll catch up with you guys later okay?" And with that, the Substitute Soul Reaper is off to do his duties. _Could it be a Hollow going after that girl already?_ he ponders, popping a Soul Candy into his mouth. His soul separates from his human body as Kon takes control of it.

"You better take care of my body, Kon, or else," he warns. The mod soul smirks and mock-salutes as Ichigo takes off after the Hollow's spirit energy.


	3. Chapter 3: Fire Consumes All

Chapter 3: Fire Consumes All

Retsu stands, holding the safety bar, as the train she's on speeds along. _Why can't I shake this feeling that something bad is happening…?_

Tapping her foot anxiously and biting her nails passes the time until she's finally at her stop. It takes most of her self-control to calmly exit the train, because if she went shoving out of there in her school uniform she'd probably get reported. Though once off the train and out of the crowd, she starts sprinting. Five minutes later and she's almost there. But the air is heavy. _Is that…smoke I smell? No, it better not be…_

When she rounds the corner, the orphanage comes into view. The flaming, smoking orphanage.

"No!" she screams, and tears down the street to the crumbling building. Firefighters and police are surrounding the entire structure. No one from inside the building appears to be out yet; the only people out of uniform there seem to be bystanders. Retsu sees firefighters trying to get into the building, but every time an unnaturally large flame blazes up in front of them: no matter how much water they flood it with.

Without a second thought, the teen slips past the police line and sprints to the building. Ignoring the shouts behind her, she plows right through the front door and into the flames. Though she doesn't notice, the flames are repelled by her presence and she makes it through unscathed.

"Sarah! Aaron!" she calls, her American accent returning to her. Before she can call out again though, she carelessly inhales smoke. Coughing, she gets low to the ground where the smoke is less intense. _Damn it. The fire is so loud I doubt they would hear me anyway… Or that I'd be able to hear them. I'm just going to have to look._

Out of nowhere, the wall to her right explodes; blowing even more debris into the room. Cursing, the teen shields her eyes.

"My, my, my. Don't you smell tasty," croons a sinister voice.

"What the—who's there!" Retsu yells hoarsely. Smoke fills her lungs again and she coughs roughly.

"Me?" The floor cracks. "Well, I like to call myself Fuego." Another crack. Closer this time. "Though I don't know why I waste my time telling scum like you. The fact that you can even hear me is somewhat impressive, but it's not like you're a Soul Reaper or anything." Even closer, the floor cracks again. It's close enough that Retsu can see the indentation, but it seems to have materialized there on its own.

_What…the hell is going on?_ she wonders, eyes wide.

"By the stupid look on your face I'm assuming you can't see me. What a shame. This would be at least somewhat interesting if I could watch your face become distorted with fear as you watch my maw open wide and suck the soul right out of your body… But, beggars can't be choosers I suppose. I need every soul I can get if I want to reach the Vasto Lorde class. Just Hollow souls will do the trick, but I like to indulge on human souls every once in a while. Particularly pure souls like children, they are especially cleansing to the pallet." It laughs. Retsu is quiet for a while.

"What the hell are you talking about! And show yourself so I can kick the crap out of you, you sadistic weird ass!"

"E-Excuse me!"

"You heard me! Show your cowardly ass so I can beat it!"

"Tch! You have quite a dirty mouth there. Stupid, naïve human. I'll show you why you don't mock an Atjuchas!" The teen sees a shimmer above the crack on the floor, then watches as flames gather into a ball in the air. "I like my souls well-done!" The invisible being cackles.

Crackling flames fly at her faster than she can blink. In the next instant, they disperse with a boom in midair.

"I think you've done _enough_ burning today." More crashes and explosions follow.

_That voice…_

"Tch! Soul Reaper going to ruin my fun, eh! Well that's what you think anyway… Heheh!"

"I don't even have to think about winning, because you've already lost!"

"Gaahh!" Something moist splatters on Retsu's face. Blood; the metallic taste is unmistakable. Retsu hears crashing from far away, breaking her out of her immobile stature. Keeping low, she takes off in a sprint but hits something that she can't see, plows it over, and goes toppling to the floor.

"H-Hey! Watch where you're—" But she's up and off before the sentence is finished. _No hallucinations, or spirits, or whatever the hell they are, are going to get in my way! I still have to save my siblings!_ Only a few steps later the invisible force stops her again.

"Where do you think you're going! Are you insane!"

"Let go of me!" the girl screams, thrashing in the ghost's grip. "Sarah! Aaron!" she screams, desperate for a response.

"Listen to me! There's no one else alive in this building except you!" The teen immediately goes rigid, her eyes wide and trembling.

_No…_

"No!" she screams as she's pulled out of the raging inferno. Before her mind has time to catch up with what's happening, the teen is out on the street; watching the building disintegrate into a pile of ash. Paramedics are on the girl in an instant, putting her on a respirator to purify her smoke-filled lungs and lifting her up on a stretcher to transport her to an ambulance. Having lost the will to fight, the girl lets them do so.

_This can't be real. It must be another of my insane dreams. I should wake up any second now… I'm probably sleeping in and will be late for school. My new teacher won't yell at me though, they'll be nice about it. And there won't be crazy people with orange hair or lesbians or flailing guys talking about karaoke. Everything…will be just fine._

But she didn't feel reassured. Because in her heart, she knew she was only lying to herself. Tomorrow, she'd wake up knowing that her entire family was dead.

Or so she thought.

"I'm coming for you little sister! I'm coming for you! I hope you've been training as long and hard as me, or else!" shouts a lone woman to herself through clenched teeth. For days she has been running with her destination buzzing around in the back of her mind: Karakura Town. It has been nine years since she truly returned to civilization. And this moment, the moment where she confronts her sister, defeats her, and takes her rightful place as the savior of the Akato family; is what she has been working towards for those nine years. The thought has her roaring with laughter and running faster, despite the burning in her lungs and legs.

Buildings begin to come into her view within minutes. With fast, excited breaths the absconder pushes forward, pressing deeper into the town to find a good vantage point. A bit later she finds a somewhat tall, deserted looking building and climbs up its fire escape and then up to the roof. After making sure there is no one there, she closes her eyes and focuses. White ribbons immediately spring up around the rogue. Only a few moments have to pass before she snatches one that is off-white.

"Got you," she snarls exultantly. Laughing, she crushes the ribbon in her fist and all of them disappear. Without hesitation, she takes off to follow the ribbon's trail: the trail that will lead the young truant to _her_. That younger sister of hers: Retsu Akato.

_Huh? She started moving fast all of the sudden…_ Then the obvious reason hits her. _Must be on a train. Hm. Well, she's coming right this way, so I guess I'll just chill here for a while._

But just before she settles down on a rooftop, a nearby Hollow's cry startles her. _A Hollow? How did I not feel it? Eh, oh well… I'll let a Soul Reaper deal with it._ Then she hears a human's cry. _…Or maybe not._ Sighing, the young adult cracks her neck and knuckles then takes off again. Another thing abruptly catches her senses, stopping the speedster in her tracks.

_That spiritual energy…I know it._ The recollection hits her like a bullet. _No, it can't be. Aaron…and Sarah?_ Though she hadn't actually seen the boy since he was three, and she'd never laid eyes on the girl before; enough observing from a distance let her become familiar with their spiritual energy. Besides, the girl figured it was only right to know her younger siblings' scents.

_That punk is going to beat me there,_ the ruffian thinks as she continues her dead sprint. But suddenly, the presence of Sarah and Aaron disappear: bringing her again to a halt.

"Damn you!" the girl immediately bellows, furious. "You can't protect anyone can you! 'Going to save us all' they thought! _Hah!_ You can't even save your own damn family!" The young adult snarls in the direction of her still moving younger sister. "Damn you," she whispers, clenching her fist, as angry tears pool in her eyes.

"Well, now there's just you and me left, huh? Guess that means no one will get caught in the crossfire as I blow you off the goddamn earth! And I'll prove to _you_, and our good-for-nothing _parents_, and the rest of the Akato family that _I _will be their hero!"

Minutes later, the infuriated youth arrives at her destination. At the site of the now demolished building, all there is to see is the paramedics treating flabbergasted firefighters and cleanup crews taking away debris. Sniffing the air gives the girl mostly ash up her nose, but also the faint scent of a Soul Reaper; and, even better, Rosalein May Akato. _Or I guess, Retsu, since that's what you call yourself now isn't it? Moving to Japan sure changes a lot, doesn't it?_

"Tch. Not really," she murmurs aloud. "Still can't protect worth a flying shit."

"All right, you're all set to go hun. Remember to come on back if you feel like you're having any trouble breathing. Okay?" Retsu, having not heard what was just said, nods to appease the expectant look on her caretaker's face. More is said, but the teen's mind doesn't accept the words. All her mind can process is all the different things that could have happened to those two, innocent kids.

Though she had only known of their existence for the past five years of her life, they immediately had become the most important part of it. Because, truly, they were the only reason she stayed sane through all these years. And now they were gone. Abruptly. Without a trace. _Did they suffer before they died? Could they still be alive and suffering right now?_

The thoughts alone are enough to make the girl's entire body tremble and her lungs struggle to catch a breath. Luckily, the nurse had already left; beings that she just told the disheveled teen that she was free to go. It takes a moment for her mind to register this, and another few moments for her to actually depart.

It seems to the teen that every person she passes contemptuously watches her go by. Each one heightens her anger until she feels herself shaking and feeling the need to drive her fists into someone, something, _anything_.

_Keep it together… Keep it together_. Breaking out into a run, she heads straight to the exit. Once outside she runs until her legs collapse, ending up on the outskirts of town near an old building. Finally, the girl lets out a heart-wrenching cry of anguish and anger with the little breath she has left. Not caring that the wall in front of her is made of brick, she punches it repeatedly until her knuckles are bruised and bloody. Fury departing, leaving her only with emptiness, the unkempt teen slouches to the ground beside the wall and becomes motionless.

"Wow. I guess it's true that spoiled brats throw the most gaudy temper tantrums." Retsu's head pops up and her eyes meet vivid, jade green eyes mere inches away. But before she can lash out, the up-close eyes disappear. Swiftly, the eyes are replaced by a hefty young woman standing a few yards away: her face upturned in a sneer, green eyes mocking, as she stares down the younger girl before her.

Confusion passes over Retsu. _What the hell kind of person comes up to someone sitting on the sidewalk and says something like that?_

"Who the hell are you?" the junior of the two asks, her voice rough and breathless.

"I, you ignorant little brat, am Araeanne. But since you seem to like Japanese names so much, you can call me Areina. Or just Ari. I don't really care, since you'll only need to use my name once. And that'll be when you beg for mercy just before I _kill_ you," sneers the senior in response.

"_Excuse me?_" Retsu scrutinizes the barmy look on the woman's face and fears that the death threat may be an earnest one.

"What are you waiting for?" the madwoman asks, ignoring the girl's question. "Draw your sword already. That is, unless you've _already_ given up? If that's the case, then truly nothing but blood could prove that we're related."

"Related?" the teen echoes.

"Yes. Related," Ari repeats slowly, as if talking to a small child. "Though I don't really blame you for not knowing, I mean, being the child of choice gave you quite the full schedule. Always booked with endless hours of being doted on and praised for doing nothing more than _existing_. Yeah, must have been exhausting taking up all the attention that should have been for five kids."

"Five?" Retsu again repeats.

"Tch. You really are a moron aren't you? Look at you… You don't even _have_ a sword, do you? Do you even know what a Zanpakutou is? A Soul Reaper?" The woman takes a moment to study the girl's confused expression. "No, huh." Suddenly her mood shifts.

"You're pathetic! And so stupid, just like our parents! They thought you would be the one to save our family name, and boy were they wrong. Definitely got what was coming to them five years ago… Eaten by Hollows, even after deserting their other children to invest all their time into training _you_ to become the 'great human Soul Reaper' you apparently have the potential to be! The great Soul Reaper that for generations our family has waited for!"

Retsu can only stare, wide-eyed, as she realizes that this madwoman may not be mad, and is telling the truth. Shock and grief over the memories of her parents' death keep her still and silent.

"You were supposed to be able to protect our parents. You should have been able to save our siblings. So much has been sacrificed for you and you haven't made anything of it, you lazy-ass brat!" Flames spontaneously ignite on the crazed woman's hands. "Hadou, Way of Destruction, Number 31," she snarls, and the flames condense into spheres on her palms. Retsu has enough sense to scramble onto her feet at this point. Her manic older sister points her hands at the teen and shouts, "Shakkahou—Red Fire Cannon!"

At her word, the flaming orbs become deadly projectiles; but by some miracle the younger sister manages to dodge both of them successfully. With an undefeated smirk, Ari rears her hands back as two new fireballs form in her palms.

"Dance you useless dumbass!" she barks harshly, sending the shocks of fire out in quick succession. And dance Retsu does. But the fireballs come so fast, she can only move enough so they don't fully impact her. Each one grazes and scorches her as it goes passed, until one finally hits its mark on the upper left part of her chest. The impact sends her flying back then skidding across the ground; not to mention leaving her completely stunned.

With an unsatisfied sigh, the young adult ceases fire and walks over to the immobilized teenager.

"I really am disappointed, Rosalein. I truly thought you would put up a better fight, beings that I've been gone for nine years. Yeah, nine years of training and I hardly have to lift a finger to beat you…" She shakes her head. "What a letdown. I don't even feel like finishing you off. You're not worthy of it," she finishes with faux tranquility, and then turns to walk away.

Fighting the urge to puke at the revolting feel and smell of burnt flesh, Retsu recollects herself and manages to sit up.

"Say that…to my face, psycho." Ari pauses mid-stride and looks over her shoulder.

"What was that?" she asks in a light, but venomous tone.

"You heard me," the girl responds, bolder this time.

"I heard you making a death wish," the young adult hisses, spinning on her heel to face her singed little sister.

"Maybe I am," the teen responds gravely.

"I'm not so generous, especially towards disgusting, disappointing, worthless pieces of trash like you; that don't deserve the mercy of a painless transition to the afterlife."

"Tch, afterlife?" Retsu scoffs gruffly, "So now you're going all religious on me?"

"Reli—oh right, I forgot that you're completely oblivious," the older of the two chides as she stalks closer to the teen crumpled on the sidewalk. With careful restraint, she continues. "The 'afterlife' is called the Soul Society. It's where Soul Reapers live; and also where they send souls that they perform Konsou on or set free when Hollows are purified." Her lips twitch up into a forced smirk.

"Could you at least pretend to know what I'm talking about? Having to look at that stupid expression of yours is really starting to get tiring." Retsu's face hardens at her statement. "That's a little better." She sighs. "And you better appreciate the nine years of hard work I put into developing my discipline, because otherwise, you would be obliterated along with everything within a mile radius of here."

A small contraction of her eyelid alludes to her fracturing mental stability. "A few years ago I wouldn't have cared if anyone else died if I had the chance to get a satisfying revenge against _you_. But now I get that I couldn't put anyone through what I had to go through." They exchange a glance.

"Well, it's about time I left you to die. And since the burn singed all of your blood vessels closed, you won't be lucky enough to bleed to death. So have fun dying of pain and dehydration!" And with that, a sadistic grin, and one bark of laughter: she's gone.

Only after her older sibling vanishes does Retsu dare look down at her still slightly sizzling wound. No blood seeps from it, just as her sister had said, but that fact doesn't make it any better. At least an inch of flesh is completely gone, what can be seen is charred brown, and even part of her collarbone is exposed. Bile quickly comes up the teen's throat but she swallows desperately to keep it away. Averting her gaze doesn't help much, and she begins to hyperventilate and break out into a cold sweat.

_No problem… This isn't a problem. It's not that bad. I'll just make my way back to the hospital_, she thinks to herself. Though it is easier said than done. Pins and needles already cover her left arm, rendering it tingling painfully and useless. Haze creeps into her vision as consciousness begins to slip away from her. _Have to…hang on_. But it's futile. All the adrenaline that had kept her cognizant up to this point has drained away. The struggle is over before it even begins, and darkness takes over once again.

Moments later, her eyes reopen. Green meets her vision first, and then the smell of grass, soil, and a hint of rain hit her. Hesitantly, the girl pushes up from the position of lying on her stomach. Surprisingly there is no pain, and when she looks, sure enough, there is no injury. _Is this real? I can't what's a dream from what reality is anymore..._

Less cautiously, the teen falls back into a sitting position. Green meadows spread out before her, far into the horizon without stop. The sky is crystal blue, except for one cloud that covers the sun. Wind is not present, nor water, nor any other plants beside the grass. In fact, it seems the grass is the only sign of life there at all.

"What is this place?" she asks herself aloud.

"This is your inner world," someone suddenly responds. Retsu flinches and whips around to face the voice. Black eyes catch hers instantly. The owner of the ebony orbs is a young-looking woman with long, white-blonde hair that is curled into tight ringlets. Flawless white robes, adorned with red ribbons and belt, cover her small frame. Red, traditional Japanese sandals with small white flowers decorating them are her footwear.

"Who are you?" the teen questions suspiciously. The woman's impassive expression remains unchanged.

"My name is _."

"What?" Retsu's ears seemed to have gone deaf at that last word. "Come again?"

"Disappointing," murmurs the woman, disregarding the girl's request. "Since your spiritual energy had finally started to condense, I thought the shock of that attack would be enough to open your ears. But apparently my assumption was wrong." Her expression stiffens slightly. "After all this time waiting, I have to admit I am getting impatient, Retsu. I had hoped we would have already had many more meetings by this time. But you are so caught up in your own emotional turmoil that you have been blind and deaf to my presence. Very disappointing."

"Enough with calling me a disappointment already! Okay! I get it. My sister already told me off," the teen grumbles irately.

"I am aware," the adult responds after a pause. She takes another pause. "Do you smell that?" she questions abruptly.

Suddenly, the smell of smoke washes over Retsu, making her cough. When she looks around, she sees a raging inferno in every direction.

_How could I have smelt the smoke before I saw the fire?_ But she has no time to ponder this, because the flames are swiftly approaching. Panic fills her as she recognizes her new fear of fire; it had killed her siblings and killed her—_At least…I think_.

"You must realize your true power if you wish to survive your injury, Retsu. There isn't much time. You must find me before the fire consumes all."

"Find you? But you're standing right there!" No sooner were the words out that the mysterious woman was gone. "Of course," the teen growls.

Retsu is left alone to face the hell enclosing her: until a word flashes over her mind. _Sword…_

"Sword?" she inquires aloud. "Is that what I have to find?" Frantic glances around her turn up nothing.

_Focus_.

Retsu reflexively nods and takes more time to look. A metallic shine within the blaze catches her attention, and she knows that must be it. Overcoming her fear takes a few breaths and muttered curses, but she commits and sprints into the violent flames. They scorch her skin just as Ari's fireballs did, and the pain is equally real and intense. It takes every ounce of strength she has to come within reach of the shimmering blade.

The pain finally brings her hands and knees onto the flaming, ash-littered ground. Wheezing, the girl reaches for the sword with shaking, blackened fingers. They grip the sword and earn bloody cuts for gripping the blade instead of the hilt. But Retsu doesn't care. She has the sword. _My sword_, she thinks, and it just feels right.

With a jolt, the teen realizes that the fire has yet stop. She had assumed it would desist after finding the sword like the woman had said, especially because she was given no further instruction. Left at as loss, she begins to panic.

_Call my name_.

The command has Retsu looking at the beautiful onyx and crimson obsidian blade clenched in her bloody hand. A name whispers at the back of her mind, inaudible over the roaring flames consuming her.

"Please," Retsu begs through bone-dry, charred lips.

_Focus,_ the voice commands again. Using all the attentiveness she can muster, the teen mentally wrestles the roaring of the fire down to a manageable hum. The name whispers again, deep in her subconscious. Her lips move to its sound, whispering along.

As quickly as it ignited, the fire is extinguished. Cooling, medicinal rain begins to fall from the one cloud that covers the sun: healing the girl's skin of the burns and cuts. Once recovered, Retsu observes her newfound weapon. The shape of it, and the fact that it's made of obsidian, reminds her of an arrowhead but on a much larger scale.

Being careful not to cut herself again, she grabs the thin hilt and stands. It's surprisingly light, despite being taller than she and just as wide. Power surges through her arm and throughout her whole body, making her skin prickle and her hair stand on end. "Wow," the teen whispers breathlessly.

"'Wow' indeed." _That voice… It's the blonde_ _from earlier_, Retsu realizes. The sharp edge to the woman's tone makes her slightly nervous.

"What?" she asks as innocently as possible, looking into the black eyes of the mysterious female.

"Must you take such an easy task and make it so difficult and nerve-racking? You are going to give me gray hairs," the woman responds irritably. "You are reckless and inattentive to details. How am I ever going to entrust you with my full power?" She holds up her hand to stop Retsu's answer: it was a rhetorical question.

"You will not be able to utilize any of my power as a human, anyway. So I think that will be your test for beginning to earn my trust." A hint of a smile plays at the edges of her lips. "Hope to see you around, Retsu."

"We will meet again, and you'll show me all your secrets, right Meizuisa?" counters the brunette; trying hard to be valiant despite the vagueness of her mentor's words and the uncertainty it brings to her. The blonde tries not to look amused.

"You'll have to cheat death first," she says simply. Everything goes white.

Reality hits Retsu like a sledgehammer. Burning, throbbing, _dying_—the pain returns to her all at once, stealing the air from her lungs. All she can see is the black pavement that presses against her face. Static covers her left arm, rendering it unresponsive to her mind's commands; so, using her right arm, she tries to push herself away from the asphalt. But its muscles are weak and shaken, only allowing her to go to the side: making her lay on her tingling left arm. The arm and the seared cavity within her chest protest with angry shocks of pain, so she pushes a bit more to lie on her back instead.

Cold sweat covers the teen, chilling further when the cold wind of an incoming storm blows across. Unstoppable tremors vibrate every fiber of her being. Ari's burns all hurt like sunburns from hell—the chest wound she can't even think about without feeling nauseas. All the girl can do is watch the thick cover of clouds slowly move and churn in the sky. Doing anything else is too painful, even breathing is almost too painful to bear. But looking at the sky, she almost felt at peace. Almost.

_I have to think… How I'm going to get through this? Meizuisa… I—I can't… I _won't_ let you down. I won't let anyone else down. That's a promise._


	4. Chapter 4: True Form

Chapter 4: True Form

Araeanne Akato sits on the ledge of a building, watching people walk by, when she suddenly catches a whiff of spiritual energy. She inhales deeply through her nostrils as if she can smell it.

_Oh, close by here are you little sis? And you aren't dead yet, huh? Well. I didn't think you'd take me seriously when I told you to die of dehydration and all that. Guess you deserve a little credit… Psh, nah._ After a gruff laugh, she sniffs the air again.

_Huh. Well I guess I'll be a little merciful here… And lure in some Hollows to eat you._ A smirk adorns her dark expression. _It would be fitting for you to die the same way our parents died._

With her decision made, she wastes no time scaling the closest building. Burnt orange color shimmers and swirls around the brute as she loosens her control on her spirit energy. Blue sparks at her fingertips as she readies a Hadou spell: Soukatsui.

"Way of Destruction number 33," she recites with ease, "Blue Fire, crash down!" At this command, blue energy tears from her fingertips and into the sky. Simultaneously, her own energy bursts out and surrounds her with its pulsating intensity. The feeling has her laughing with exhilaration.

_Any Hollows nearby will be drooling and tripping over themselves to get here,_ she thinks with a huge grin as she watches the Hadou spell disintegrate amongst the clouds. _Too bad for them that the only thing here is a dying, brainless weakling. So sad._ And with that, the ruffian regains control of her spirit energy and takes off.

Meanwhile, Retsu struggles to get up; too focused on her endeavor to notice any of the activity going on right nearby. That is until it comes right up to greet her. Something in her subconscious screams at her in warning: there was danger coming now, and fast. Adrenaline quickly starts pumping through her veins. But the teen is used to it all; the thundering heart, the dry mouth, the urge to _move_, the insatiable desire to live: to run, to fight. In all the fights she had, these sensations were always there. It had always helped her win, though of course it always brought trouble afterwards.

But not this time: this time it's only going to help. Either that, or the teen will meet her death. Retsu feels the strength return to her limbs, fueled by her rapidly beating heart. The pain of her wound decreases to a point that she can successfully ignore it. Fearlessly grinning, the girl staggers onto her feet.

_There's definitely something coming… I can feel it now,_ she thinks as she readies for a fight. Shimmers in the sky catch her attention and pique her curiosity. But before she can wonder much about it, the shimmers begin to take shape. Color gradually fills in the shapes as if her mind could now process what she's seeing. And what she is seeing is not good. It's her nightmare come to life.

Deformed figures, some similar to animals or even humans, others just bizarre, swoop down around her from above. The girl counts five at a quick glance around. White masks of bone conceal their faces, excluding their black and yellow eyes. Those eyes stare just as they had in the overnight encounter in her mind. All at once, the assemblage takes a step closer to their prey before realizing the competition around them. Howling and roaring with instantaneous ferocity, they go at each other.

To the teen, it all seems to happen in slow motion: blood splatters like molasses; teeth sink into flesh as if it were clay; bodies move not in a blur, but in almost coordinated perfection; and the weak die one by one. Eventually, it's all over. Only one remains: the victor. It turns its bloody face towards its prize, an easy and delicious meal. But now that it has cannibalized its opponents, the beast is more inclined to play with its food than eat it right away. Without uncertainty, the creature advances on the teenager.

Said teen doesn't even have time to decide whether to run or to fight before she's struck hard and sent back to the pavement. Darkness fills her vision for a moment before being replaced by the crystal clear image of the fiend, grinning and closing in on her. Its shape reminds Retsu of a spider, but only the bottom half; which has six hairy legs attached to an equally furry, round bottom. The top half is human enough, besides its mask, which looks spider-like despite having only two eyes.

_It's like a nasty spider centaur thing,_ she thinks, being amused despite the fact that it is about to kill her. But then she sees something that does scare her. A few feet away, she sees herself lying motionless, staring blankly at nothing: seemingly lifeless. _What…is that me? But wait, I'm me aren't I?_ The thought is enough to confuse her, let alone the situation itself. Suddenly she notices the chain coming out of her body's chest. Following the sequence of links with her eyes, she ends up looking down at her own torso. A shackle identical to the one on her corpse is attached there.

Throughout this entire thought and discovery process, the predator has grown bored with its unresponsive prey. Maliciously, it grabs the chain the girl was observing and yanks on it, pulling Retsu over to it and causing her to cry out in pain. Thrilled by the sound, the beast yanks on the chain again: earning another scream from the teen. Retsu desperately grips the chain where it meets her chest. Each intake of breath is becoming increasingly harder to achieve. The insect takes pleasure in watching her suffer and lifts her into the air by the iron twine.

"You're pretty resilient, aren't you little girl?" The demon chides as it watches the youth struggle to free herself from its custody. "C'mon, make a little more noise," it pleads darkly. Retsu gives him a look of hatred from the deepest pits of hell and doesn't make a sound. "No? Fine. Then I guess I'll have to force it out of you."

Its words chill the teen to the bone. Death was something she was pretty sure she could handle, but torture? Warmth races back into her as she watches the beast open its jaws. Two rows of teeth greet her, along with two dripping fangs. Something has to be done, she realizes with sudden urgency. And there is only one thing left to do now.

_Fight!_

As the word crosses her mind a burst of heat surges to the shackle attached to her chest. Vibrant mahogany suddenly shoots out of its crevices. Blinded by the sudden light, the fiend yowls and drops its captive to the ground. Energy continues to spew out and encase the chain connecting Retsu's body to her soul.

"What…is this!" shrieks the creature, disconcerted by the sudden change of events. Once silver, now deep red, the iron twine quivers precariously. Retsu rises from the ground, regaining her feet, as the beast only watches in shock. The cord between the teen and her body crackles as she rises, catching her attention. Without thought, she grabs the chain and it instantly disintegrates.

Flakes of the rich brownish-red color disperse into the air like autumn leaves stirred up by a cool breeze. Time seems to slow for Retsu as she thinks. _What is this feeling?_ Captivated by it, she briefly forgets her situation and absently watches the shimmering particles dance away into the wind. _I can breathe again… And this power…_ Energy surges and crackles around her just from thinking of it. It's enough to immobilize the beast before her.

"So what was that you were saying?" the girl chides, brimming with newfound confidence.

"Damn you," hisses the spider-fiend as it continues to stare, perplexed, at her new attire. Black robes, but not just any black robes. "A Soul Reaper… But how! How could a human become a Soul Reaper before my very eyes!"

"Hey, I'm just a clueless as you are," she responds nonchalantly, closing in on the would-be predator. "But I do know one thing." She holds up one finger for emphasis.

"I'm not the one that will be dying here tonight."

With that, the teen reaches back behind her head. Cloth-wrapped steel greets her fingertips with a friendly touch. Unable to resist a smile, the youth grips the metal hilt and unsheathes her newfound weapon.

A long, slender sword with a gentle curve, a katana, comes into the fiend's view. Unlike a normal sword, it isn't forged of steel along with the handle; but carved from obsidian. Its surface is rough but glossy like glass, and red splotches of color decorate its surface. Retsu finally brings the sword fully to her front and examines it.

"Like it?" she asks of her still stunned prey. "Well it's too bad if you don't, because you might as well like what'll be the last thing you ever see."

And with one quick movement, the teen slashes the part of the beast closest to her, its skull mask, in two. Its dying cry is short lived as it is engulfed by light, then fades to nothing. The weight in the air disappears along with it, and Retsu actually notices it. Though it isn't that her senses are sharper, it's as if an entirely new sensation has become available to her.

But she has to ignore the new signals coming in, because there is an urgent matter at hand. Her body still lay on the street, lifeless. _So is that it? Am I dead? Maybe I could just slip back in but… I'm not sure I want to._ That injury isn't something she wants to be feeling again anytime soon. Subconsciously the teen rubs near her left shoulder, where the wound was, and feels a slight indentation. Alarmed, she lifts the collar of her black kimono and peeks inside.

On the same spot as the wound on her body, she sees a dark bruise and the skin looks slightly sunken and singed. _Well, not as bad as it could be but…still weird._ A sigh escapes her closed lips with a _pshfp_ sound. _I need to do something other than stand here. Okay, think… My body is wounded, I might be dead, and I now have my sword. Family's dead, crazy sister…_She sighs again. _First, I'll take care of the body._ The thought makes her feel like a Mobster. _Then I'll just sit down and process everything that's happened…and at least try to make sense of it._

With her plan in place, the girl goes over to her corpse and picks it up. An almost magnetic pull makes her skin prickle where her soul contacts the body, but she doesn't return into her physical being. _It's going to be a long walk home;_ she contemplates, glancing at the sky. Pink and purple are seeping into the clouds in the western horizon, signaling that the sun is setting. Heaving another heavy sigh, the weary youth begins her trek home.

By the time arrives at her house, night has settled comfortably over the sky. Upon approach, she tries to not notice how dark and deserted the place looks. After getting through the front door, she flips on a light with her shoulder. Fatigue makes each step through the house seem like an impossible task, but she manages to get her body the few feet inside to the living room couch.

"What am I going to do?" she asks herself aloud after setting her load down. Rubbing her own bruise, she looks at her body's chest wound. Nothing looks much different from when she saw it earlier, besides some skin flaking off around the edges. The inside is still charred and dry. _It's still bad…but at least it's not any worse._

Imagining worse makes her shudder and quickly look for something else to think about. But there's so _much_ for her to think about that it floods her mind. Shaking her head, the teen decides she has to get some sleep before she can put everything together. It takes the rest of her stamina to get to her room down the hall. Once there, she places her hand on the bed and is pleasantly surprised that she doesn't go through it. _I guess television isn't a reliable source on the physics of spiritual beings…_ She shakes her head again._ I really need some sleep._ And without another thought, she crawls into bed and slips into a dreamless slumber.

The next day, the teen does not wake. All the trauma of the previous day keeps her comatose. However, elsewhere in Karakura Town, her sister is quite awake and lively. After wandering around most of the morning, the adult suddenly remembers her little sister.

"Wonder where that dumbass disappeared to? I can't feel her spiritual energy at all. Maybe she finally died?" the absconder guesses gleefully. "Hm, well I guess I could look for her later. Right now I think I'll check out these people I'm sensing that have spiritual pressure like me. Maybe they'll be interesting." And that's what leads her to Karakura High School.

_Been awhile since I've seen this many people up close. What a bunch of losers… _The young adult breezes past the teenagers, not noticing the weird looks she receives. Being a 24-year-old on a high school campus is strange enough, but her appearance makes it worse. Five foot eight, thanks to her American parents, tan from living outside, and all muscle from the abundant training; she definitely isn't comparable to a typical Japanese schoolgirl.

In no time, the brute's keen senses lead her to class 1-3. When she peeks in the open door, half the class appears to be gone. Though she doesn't realize it, school has just ended. But it doesn't matter much to her because the people she's tracking are there.

"Perfect," she practically purrs. Things are going so perfectly well: _Almost too well._ She brushes off the thought. After nine years of seclusion and hardcore training, the young adult is ready to have some fun.

"Does anyone want a bite of my caramel corn on the cob?" The carrot-top's friends exchange glances and look at her, none knowing how to answer such a question.

"Tatsuki?" questions the girl, offering the sticky morsel to the black-haired teen, causing her to lean back slightly.

"Ah, no, sorry Orihime, I'm full!" She pats her stomach for emphasis.

"Uryu?" The spectacled male coughs slightly, pushing up his glasses, and politely declines. Turning her pouting face to Chad and Ichigo only turns up two shakings of the head. Sighing, she resigns to eat the strange combination of a snack herself.

"You don't know what you're missing," she chimes. The group just nods kindly while thinking otherwise.

"Well, I have to get to practice now." Tatsuki rises, grabbing her things. "See you guys," she says before departing.

By flattening herself against the wall, Ari goes unnoticed as the teen runs passed. _Finally one has separated from the group. Time to see just how strong this one is._ Grinning, the brute follows after the girl as inconspicuously as possible.

But of course, she doesn't go without the notice of the observant Quincy. Curious now, he also gathers his things and stands.

"Huh? Leaving too, Uryu?" inquires Orihime, having just swallowed a bite of gooey corn. He nods.

"What, have to go to the Handicrafts Club?" teases Ichigo, unable to help himself. Instead of responding with hostility, the teen gladly accepts the excuse.

"Yeah, that." He waves a goodbye then exits, following the stranger he sensed. _Their energy signature is uncannily similar to that other girl, who seems to have disappeared… Maybe it's the same person, but something happened?_

Eventually, he catches up to the culprit. His presumption is put to rest as soon as he sees the tall, tan woman just before she sneaks around a corner. _Or not._ Cautiously, the bespectacled teen continues his pursuit.

Aware of the little duckling behind her, Ari flips up onto the roof as soon as she turns the corner. _Maybe I can "hit two birds with one stone" here. Well, more like a fireball, but same kind of deal._ In the court below, Tatsuki spars with a fighting partner. On the nearby outdoor hallway, Uryu glances around. _Where did she go?_

_But who to hit first?_ ponders Ari. _Well, making holes in roofs is fun, so let's go with that,_ she decides. Flames gather easily in the brute's outstretched hand. More aware of the spiritual energy, Uryu quickly fixates his gaze on the ceiling while Tatsuki remains oblivious to the danger congregating above.

"Red Fire Cannon," whispers Ari, and in the blink of an eye the fireball is piercing through the roof tiles to enter the area below. Nimbly, the Quincy standing there rolls out of the flames' destructive path and regains his feet. Everyone within earshot of the impact stop what they're doing, stunned, to gaze over and gawk at the 5'8" woman standing on the now-damaged rooftop.

Nonchalantly, she drops down through the large, charred aperture to stand before her prey. The first thing she sees is the teen's perplexed expression, and she feels compelled to explain her intentions.

"Name's Araeanne. I assumed you've noticed that I'm not a normal person, and you're probably wondering why I just shot that fireball at you. Well, you seemed to notice I wasn't normal _before_ the fireball, unlike your little gal pal over there, so I assumed you were stronger and therefore would survive if I shot it at you. Lots of info in a little time: got it handled?"

The teen blinks, not sure what to make of this information, or the informant.

"Well if you don't, that's kind of too bad, because I'm moving on." She takes a step forward. "I also noticed you, and what I'm really here for is to see if you've got any real strength." Her smile is crooked.

"So you're going to "test" me," he clarifies, no question in his tone.

"So you are smart! Those glasses aren't just for show, huh?" she sneers, earning no reaction from the teen. "Finally someone with some smarts, I thought all of you might be as stupid as my sister."

"Sister?" Uryu echoes. _Siblings; that would make sense why the energy is similar._

"Yeah, sister. Not that it matters because she's probably pretty dead right about now," the brute snarls delightfully. The Quincy is taken aback by her snide attitude.

"How could you be _happy_ that your sister is dead?" he whispers coldly, disturbed.

"You wouldn't understand," she snaps back. "Besides, I'm not here to talk about that! I'm here to kick your damn prissy-boy ass: for fun! So you better be strong or I'm not gonna have any fun at all!"

"So that's what you're really after, huh," the boy murmurs, pushing up his reflective glasses. "Well I'm afraid we can't fight here; there are people around that will get hurt."

"Tch," scoffs the adult, folding her arms. "Guess you're right, four-eyes. Let's go to—" Both stiffen and inhale slightly.

"Hollow," they say in unison. After glaring briefly the two take off towards the fiend. Back in the classroom, the carrot-tops are on their feet.

"What was that explosion? Was it a Hollow?" asks the startled female, her hand subconsciously going to her hairpin.

"Maybe; there is a Hollow nearby," the male responds, holding his blinking Battle Pass. "You should stay here," he implores as he uses the trinket to separate his body and soul. Orihime says nothing until after he leaves.

"No," she whispers defiantly to herself, and then follows after him. Outside, Ichigo only finds the charred spot in the hallway and the hole in the roof. People in the area seem a bit disheveled from the commotion, but there doesn't mean to be any immediate danger: so, no Hollow here. The teen takes a moment to focus. Locking onto the Hollow's presence, he takes off.


	5. Chapter 5: Reunited

Chapter 5: Reunited

"Put the bait out, the Hollows come. The Hollows come, the Soul Reapers come. It's almost too easy… Isn't it? Child?"

_**Please, just leave me alone Master Chikara... Have mercy…**_

"Oh come now child, I'm not using you as bait for Hollows this time. You should be happy." The stranger feels the human soul within its own shiver from the memories. Chuckling, the being returns its attention to the lesser Hollows on the ground below, mindlessly scavenging for weak souls to eat.

"It really is sad to think that once, I was just like them," the individual sighs. "But I worked hard and ate many souls, so many souls, until I reached my limit. I wasn't going to get any stronger, but then you came along, little Danni, and opened a whole new realm of power to me… Once you were dead, of course. Isn't that right?" Silence is the boy's response. "Isn't it?" growls the beast again, prodding the other subconsciously.

_**Yes Master,**_ he responds finally, weak and submissive.

"That's better," purrs the human-beast. "Ah," it proclaims, its tone still dull, "the Soul Reapers have finally arrived. And is that a Quincy I smell? How interesting… Didn't think they were around anymore. Oh well. As long as _she_ is here, the others don't matter." Stepping lightly, the demon travels down an invisible staircase of spirit particles from its perch in the sky to the earth below.

Meanwhile, the group of four begins to close in on the assemblage of Hollows. Ari dashes forward into the cluster—followed by Uryu, who is being pursued by Ichigo, who has Orihime sneaking along behind him.

_What a nuisance these kids are,_ thinks the young adult, snapping on her steel gauntlets. The aged metal covers her forearms from elbow to wrist. Strips of leather connect the solid metal pieces to each fingerless chainmail glove that envelop her hands.

Behind her, the Quincy readies his bow for combat. After him, the Soul Reaper sheds out of his body to reveal his true form. And in the rear, the human has her endowed hairclips at the ready.

All are finally close enough for the creature to lay its eyes upon them. An examination of each face leaves it disappointed, then angry.

_None of them are _her. _Except that one…_ Its eyes return to Ari. _She almost looks like you, boy._ The human addressed has a shocked silence.

_**That's…!**_ Overwhelming astonishment interrupts her sentence.

_That's what, boy? Who is it?_

_**My older sister…**_

"_Related…_

_Five…_

_Chosen…_

_Chosen…"_

Retsu wakes with a start, the words of her combative sister still rattling around in her skull like loose marbles. Head still spinning, she sits up with a groan.

"What did she mean…?" the girl asks herself after taking a few minutes to regain some mental stability. "Am I just missing something?" Holding up her hands and looking at her five digits gives her an idea.

"One, me," she counts, holding out her index finger. "Two, the psycho; three and four, Aaron and Sarah…" The teen stares at her four upright fingers, stumped. "Maybe she just misspoke?" she queries, though no one is around to answer. Intuition tells her that the madwoman meant exactly what she said, but that means that there is another sibling out there that she doesn't know. Releasing a sigh, the girl lays back down.

_I should hardly be surprised. I didn't know about Sarah and Aaron until I was eleven, and I didn't know about the psycho until just the other day. It shouldn't be so hard to believe that there's another one out there, unknown and nameless to me._

Rubbing her forehead hardly suppresses the dull pain building in her cranium, but that doesn't stop her from rubbing at it anyway. Just then, a sudden, intense flicker of spiritual energy does pull her attention away from the headache. Sitting up quickly, the teen focuses on the faded sensation as her eyes stare, unseeing, at the ground. But no matter how intently she focuses, the energy is too far away and strange for her to recognize.

"Guess I'm going to have to go check it out then," she mutters to herself, sliding out of bed and onto her sore feet. Once outside her room, the teen takes one last look at her inert body on the couch and then dashes out the front door, keeping a hand on the hilt of her sword. An uneasy feeling burns in her stomach, as if she gulped down a pepper that was too big and too spicy. Swallowing doesn't drown out the feeling. Instead she focuses on her lighter-than-air feet tapping delicately on the ground as she continues forward.

When Retsu finally stops running, she is confronted with a scene of complete chaos. Dozens—if not hundreds of Hollows fill the land and the sky. She notices that they seem to be clumped into four, more or less distinct globs, but can't discern any more than that. The combined spirit energy of all the Hollows is like an overgrown, sticky spider web on her senses, hiding any other presences in its mass.

_Where to even start…_ she grumbles in her head as she reaches over her shoulder for her sword. But before she can even touch the hilt, her hand is suddenly slapped away. Jumping with shock, she registers the man—_Or something else?_—standing before her.

"I finally found you," the pale, predacious man growls in delight. His lips curve into an unnaturally high smirk. "I've been searching so long for you, my dear," the man divulges, advancing on Retsu as she takes a step back; his grin widening at her baffled expression. "You," he continues and he glides closer, a greedy glint in his eyes, "my only means to become stronger, what I've been missing all these years: the other half of my power source. All my searching…and you come to me yourself. It's almost funny, isn't it?" he queries, then releases cacophonous, maniac laughter to the sky.

Retsu resists the urge to grimace and cover her ears in order to, instead, unsheathe her obsidian blade. The young man stops and considers her, his expression playful; if not smug.

"Okay, I've seriously had enough of insane people talking about shit that makes no sense to me. So start making sense, or I'll just let my sword do the talking from now on," the young woman growls contemptuously. A snort vibrates in the back of the man's throat.

"Cocky, aren't we? So very different than your other half. He'll barely speak out in protest, let alone lift a finger against me. But that is also because he knows what I'm capable of, while you do not. I'd rather not waste time teaching, so how about we just get a move on?" he sneers, but before the last syllable is out of his mouth, the girl has her sword slashing across his face.

Black obsidian flashes across the man's vision and he reacts by flinching backwards, but the razor-shape edge manages to catch the bridge of his nose before passing. Ignoring the seeping blood, the half-Hollow simply glares and grips the hilt in his belt.

"Cheap shot, you little pest. Guess we're going to have to do this the hard w—"

Just then a massive explosion interrupts the man's threat. Retsu looks up to see a surge of sky blue energy, then a figure in tattered black clothing leap into the air; black sword in hand, orange hair… A blip of recognition heats her chest for a moment. _The carrot-top from school,_ she recollects. Red-rimmed, black energy rips from his blade as he swings it, eradicating all Hollows in its path. _Is he…like me?_ The question leaves her suddenly a bit light-headed and breathless. If there was someone like her, then—

"Say goodnight, princess," a metallic voice suddenly whispers in the girl's ear, then fingertips press against her face. There is a spark: then darkness.

"Time to take a trip into my inner world little girl… Where your powers will become mine."

"There's too many of them!" Uryu Ishida shouts to Orihime over the stridency of the Hollows' cries. Orihime, standing back-to-back with Uryu, knows he is right—but she isn't willing to give up just yet.

"We can't give up hope!" she shouts back. _We just have to hang on until Ichigo…_ Her thoughts stop short. Ichigo. Orihime knew how much she relied on him to bail her out whenever things got too tough—and she hated it. "We can do this!" she adds passionately. Uryu simply nods in silent concurrence and continues shooting as fast as he can with bloody hands.

_Damn all these Hollows! Where the hell did they come from anyway!_ an irritated Ari thinks to herself and she blasts through the beasts with her Shakkahou. _Wait, what the hell is…? Damn it. I can feel her: that worthless scum of my sister. I'm surprised she even came here. Probably was an accident,_ she decides. _Well I'll give her a real surprise._ And with that and a battle cry, the young adult begins cutting through the mob of Hollows like a combine through corn; making her way towards the center of her sister's spiritual energy.

But when she gets to her destination, she is the one met with a surprise. Retsu, already being knocked unconscious by… _No. It isn't. Is it? It couldn't be. But…could it?_

"Daniel?" she barely whispers, the name alone threatening to tear apart her heart all over again. The figure slowly turns its face towards the young woman. For a moment, its eyes seem almost human: wide and surprised. But in the next instance they are again narrow and predatory.

"Who is this 'Daniel' that you speak of?" The demon chides, still holding the ragdoll-like Retsu in its lean, muscular arms. Ari is slightly taken aback.

_But I _know_ that face, those eyes… It can't be anyone other than my brother. But—it _can't_ be him. He's _dead._ Get a grip!_

The Hollow watches the woman's expression change from shock, to grief, to anger, to some mixture of all three.

_Humans are quite amusing with their silly emotions, but I have waited too long to put this moment off any longer._

"Listen, silly human, I'd love to toy with you longer but I—"

"What did you do with him!" screams Ari passionately, carelessly interrupting the humanoid Hollow. "Why do you have his body!" she yells in interrogation, tears leaking out of her eyes.

"My dear, I don't know what you're—"

"Don't you lie to me!" Fire begins to kindle on her palms. "I would know those eyes anywhere, regardless of what color they are. Those sad, broken, but hopeful eyes…" She takes a moment to choke back her sobs and take a deep breath. "I haven't forgotten those eyes, and I never will. They are all that kept me sane after my parents rejected me: rejected _us_. They kept me sane until… Until…"

"He died," finishes the man. He stares straight at the disheveled woman, no longer bemused, no longer anything. Without emotion, he continues in monotone, "Eleven years ago, it was the week before Christmas. He had just turned five. They told you he died." A smirk spreads across his face. "They lied to you. Somewhat," he corrects. Ari's eyes widen, the flames on her hands dispersing into thin air.

"What?" she barely whispers.

"He didn't _die_," the Hollow repeats, "At least according to your criterions to what 'death' is. Because what happened wasn't really _death_, it was…me." The smirk grows to an unnatural width. "I entered your brother's soul and overtook it. He had power but his will was so weak…" He laughs. "It was too easy. I had needed a boost in power, and he was the perfect source and receptacle for me to live in and continue to increase my strength. But, I came to find later that it was all too good to be true. His powers were incomplete, unbalanced… There was something _missing._" His eyes stray to the inert form in his arms. "The other half," he finishes.

Ari shakes her head, slowly, then angrily. This is worse than anything she could have imagined. Death: the end of life. It was something Ari had hoped her little brother would face once he had lived a long, happy life. Death at such a young age seemed like such a tragedy... But being overtaken by a Hollow? That is worse than a young death, because that means he has been suffering as a slave for _eleven years_. Blood pounds in her head, behind her eyes. But before she put her mind in one piece in order to land a blow, the menace speaks again.

"Well, I really must be going now. I've waited decades for this moment after all; I can hardly wait another moment. Tell Danni to behave for me, will you?" There is a flash and a cackle, and then silence. Ari shields her eyes until the light is gone. When she moves her arm away from her face, she sees that Retsu is gone and she sees the Hollow crumpled on the ground. The latter observation makes her thoughts stutter for a moment. _How could it have_—but then she takes another look.

What was white hair just a moment ago is now golden blonde; what was white skin is now flushed pink. Time seems to pause for a moment—the sounds of Hollows being slaughtered dies down, Ari's heart skips a beat, the wind stops—until she hears a small, pathetic groan. Everything crashes back down onto her, the sounds, sights, smells: but all she can see is him, and all she can hear is her thundering heart.

"Daniel!" she cries out. Without a second thought she blasts away all the Hollows nearby and runs over to his side, practically collapsing to the ground next to him and scooping him up into her arms. "Daniel, Daniel," she repeats incoherently, stroking his tangled, wavy hair as she sobs.

"Sister…" the boy whispers. His voice is exactly how she remembered it. Weak, sick, but still so beautiful. _So beautifully broken_, she thinks, cradling her beloved brother against her chest. _So fragile, but stronger than anyone._

The teen just closes his eyes and listens to his older sister, his protector, practically his mother, cry and mutter his name again and again.

"I thought… I thought…" the young woman sobbed, unable to even say it.

"I know," he soothes, holding his sibling close. "I know," he repeats. "It's going to be okay. It'll be all right."

"Don't say that if it isn't true," she retorts, almost angry: but she couldn't quite bring herself to be so. After another minute of holding him, Ari finally pulls away just enough to look at his face. Though he has aged eleven years, she can still see the five-year-old that had given her life purpose. She delicately touches his hollowed, pale cheeks—remembering remorsefully how full and pink they used to be—before trailing her hand to his unruly blonde hair. Many mornings were spent solely on brushing out that mess he called hair, but it would always be worth it. Not only would he look more adorable with his hair all orderly, he'd also have the biggest smile on his face: one that reached his amber eyes and made them sparkle.

"What happened to you?" Ari finally whispers, tears silently streaming down her face once again. The boy pauses for a moment, his eyes clouding over with pain and fear at the memories, but he smiles slightly to reassure his distressed sister.

"Eleven years ago," he starts. After a pause, he continues. "I was sick with that terrible flu. Do you remember?" he asks quietly. Frowning deeply, she nods once. "Nanny was sure I'd get better, but I felt so weak… I was scared." He swallows hard before continuing. "That's when _he_ showed up. He came in the middle of the night. I was still awake, because I kept coughing and couldn't fall asleep. It was dark and I couldn't see… I just heard this voice. It called my name then said, 'I have a cure that can heal you. Without it you will die. I will give it to you, if you first show me that you trust me.' I was just a kid. When he told me I'd die without it… I was convinced." He shakes his head.

"He told me, that to prove I trusted him, I had to… I had to walk right out the window. He said that I would have to trust that he would catch me. Only then would he give me the cure. I didn't understand, but I did as he said…" The boy's brows draw close together and his eyes narrow slightly. "He didn't catch me," he states simply. Ari's breath catches in her throat. "It was then, when I was broken and sure to die, that he took over. I've been stuck inside our inner world ever since… He only let me out when he needed to use me as bait." He swallows again.

"So…then…" Ari can hardly find words. Rage and grief has filled her heart so full it is spilling into her mind. "So, what does he want with Retsu then?"

"He wants her power," he responds quietly. "Our power is one. She is my other half, as I am hers. I am the stability: the mental and emotional strength. She is the raw physical power. Without her I am weak. Without me she is dangerously volatile. Chikara needs us both in order to increase his strength, and that is all he cares about. Power…"

"I don't understand."

"He's taken her into our inner world," Daniel continues, "where they will fight. If Chikara defeats her, then she'll be like me: stuck in the back of his mind forever."

"But Daniel," Ari practically growls, "there has to be a way to save you. I mean you're right _her_e damn it! If you go away again I'd…"

"If she wins, though," he goes right on to say, "then we may both be freed. I'd have control of my body again, and he would be the one living in my subconscious."

"But she's weak Daniel! She's an idiot and doesn't know anything!" she shouts, her old anger and jealousy of Retsu returning in a flash. But the look on her brother's face makes it disappear in an instant. Retsu is his only hope now; he really doesn't need his confidence in her to be undermined. "I'm sorry," she says quickly. _Idiot,_ she scolds herself.

"It's all right sister. I understand why you hate her so."

"You should hate her too for the same reason! What she did to me she did to you too. You wouldn't be like this if it wasn't for her!"

"I did hate her for a long time, in the first few years that Chikara controlled me. But, sitting there in the back of someone's mind gives you a lot of time to think. And really, she's no more to blame for what happened to me than you and I."

"That's ridiculous, I—" Ari begins, but stops when Daniel just looks at her. "Sorry," she says again.

"She's not the one who kicked us out of the house, Rae-Rae. Our parents did. She didn't even know we existed. Besides, hating her won't solve anything… We're all going to have to work together to get through this. We need each other. Being alone for eleven years has at least taught me that," he explains, his voice down to a whisper by the last sentence.

"Daniel." Ari can't think of anything else to say. The old nickname and his wise words have her choked up again. "How did you grow up so much?" She embraces the sixteen-year-old again, now hoping that her idiotic sister could pull through for her just this once.


	6. Chapter 6: A Necessary Evil

Chapter 6: A Necessary Evil

In the depths of the forest on a dark and rainy night, Retsu Akato faces her enemy.

"Who are you!" she shouts at the svelte figure standing before her.

"That always seems to be the first question out of every human's mouth when they see me," the individual retorts sharply. "That is why I gave myself a name. It is Chikara! For it is _chikara—_power—that I seek. I must seek it day and night, for if I cease in my efforts, I will lose everything that I have worked so hard for: if I stop moving forward, I will begin slipping backwards. And I will not allow that to happen. But right now I am beginning to slow to a stop. Only _you_ can keep me moving forward."

"Me? What the hell are you talking about?" the teen hollers in response.

"I need your power… To complete my own. Or should I say—to complete your _brother's_ powers." Retsu is only more confused.

"Aaron?" she queries, not understanding at all. The fiend throws his head back and laughs before giving her a response.

"You don't know of your own _twin!_" he shouts giddily, finding great amusement in the dysfunction of it all.

"Twi…"

"That's right. You have a _twin_ my dear Rose," sneers the villain.

"I don't believe—" the girl begins, but stops and gasps: the silhouette has stepped into the moonlight and she can now see his face. His skin and hair are as white as snow, his cheeks are a bit sunken in, and his eyes are black and gold—but it is _her_ face that looks back at her. A hideous, terrifying distortion of her face, yet it still is hers.

"Your brother has given me this face," hisses the Hollow as he stalks closer. Retsu notices the beautifully intricate, delicately deadly, teardrop-shaped dagger in his hand and brings Meizuisa to her front side, ready to defend herself if need be. "He also gave me the opportunity to continue growing. I had reached a point where no matter how many Hollows I devoured, my power stayed the same. But I was still just an Adjuchas. And that wasn't good enough for me. So I sought out a body: one with true potential, but not enough strength to overcome me. I found Daniel." The corners of his lips turn up, too high, sending a shiver up Retsu's spine.

"I have reached the Vasto Lorde class, but just barely. He isn't enough. He has some power and definite stability, but no…" he pauses to search for a word, "_gusto,_ I guess you could say. He doesn't have that raw strength…that _you_ have." His expression suddenly turns from delighted to sinister; Retsu grips her sword tightly and gets ready. "Strength that soon _I_ will have!"

"Tch!" The girl barely has time to side-step and avoid the brute's dagger being lodged into her abdomen, and then he is gone before she can retaliate. "Damn you! No stupid tricks. Fight me like a man!"

"Be careful what you wish for, little girl," he whispers. His voice seems to come behind every tree; as if every glistening leaf whispers along with him as they are barraged with the perpetual rain. Instantly afterward, there is silence. All Retsu can hear is her pulse: forceful and frantic.

_Focus,_ she reminds herself. She keeps Meizuisa in front of her as she surveys the area. The trees seem almost slimy with the constant flow of water streaming down their bark. Their jagged, far-reaching branches cast odd shadows in the dim moonlight. Wind seems to move the trees' branches, but the teen feels nothing against her skin but the rain. Mist begins to roll in from the darkness between the oleaginous trunks and the rain grows steadily heavier. Retsu finds herself feeling suffocated and uneasy. _Snap out of it,_ she tells herself.

"Ah!" she exclaims when something rustles beside her. Suddenly there's rustling all around her, as if the trees themselves have begun to shiver. "What's going on!" she screams. Suddenly the branches seem to gain a mind of their own and reach towards the frightened teenager. "Ahh!"

Nearby, but out of sight, the Hollow chuckles to himself.

_This is just too easy… If the very essence of this place is enough to drive her mad, how will she ever deal with me?_ He sighs. _I suppose I should be happy for my good fortune, but somehow it just isn't any…fun._ A sinister grin dominates his features. _Perhaps I should_ make_ it fun._

Before he makes his move, he watches the panicked girl as she blindly swings at the branches that come near her. Still thoroughly bemused, he waits for his opportunity to come up behind her. When it comes, he dashes forward and grabs her wrists, twisting her hands off of her blade. Grinning the whole time, he tightens his grip when she screams with shock and fright. Struggling gets her nowhere; it only gives the Hollow more gratification. Her helplessness gives him a sense of dominance—of _power_.

"Scared?" he queries darkly.

"Let go!" the girl demands vehemently, still struggling to free herself.

"I don't think you're really in a position to be making demands, dear," the demon chides indolently. In response the girl uses her uninhibited legs to kick at her captor. The assailant simply cackles and yanks her towards him, causing her back to slam against his battle-hardened chest. The hilt of his dagger jabs the teen's spine and sends a flare of panic up to her chest, igniting her lungs.

"Let go!" she repeats, her voice cracking with fear. Smirking sinisterly, her accoster lets go of her wrists, only to put an arm around her torso to pin her arms to her sides.

"Where would be the fun in that?" his metallic voice whispers in her ear as he grips her harder.

"Damn you," she groans. _Any more pressure and he's going to crack a damn rib._ The teen pants erratically as she again tries to struggle, but to no avail; his iron grip has her immobilized. _Think, _she commands herself. _There has to be a way out of this._

"Hmm, so many ways to kill you and I have all the time in the world. Decisions, decisions," the demon purrs. "Should I start with this face of yours?" he asks as he traces an ice-cold finger down the girl's jaw. "Maybe your eyes?" he continues nonchalantly. "Or should I just go straight for your heart?" he murmurs darkly, his free hand lazily sliding down to rest on the girl's quivering sternum. Rational thought leaves the teen's mind.

"Let _go_ of me!" the teen screams stridently, again thrashing in her captor's deadly embrace. Her noncompliance only earns her a bone-cracking squeeze around her torso, causing her to cry out in agony as her ribs crackle closer to her lungs.

"So you want to do this the hard way, do you?" the demon hisses dangerously.

"Shit," the girl mutters under her breath. Never before had she felt so _helpless_ with danger bearing down on her. _This is it,_ she thinks, chilling her even more than the frigid precipitation. But then, through the swirling mist, pouring rain, and gnarled trees, two silhouettes emerge.

"That's quite enough, Hollow." Retsu's eyes widen in shock. _Could that be…_

Green grass appears with each step of the taller silhouette, chasing away the twisted, drenched roots of the forest floor. Alongside them is a much smaller figure, no more than the size of a child, whose face is encircled by the thick, sodden hood of their cloak. The child holds the hand of the taller figure, who wears perfect white robes adorned with cherry red ribbons.

_Meizuisa._ The teen breathes a mental sigh of relief as she struggles to physically breathe.

"Little traitor found this one's Zanpaktou, did he?" Chikara snarls at the hooded child. The boy hides behind Meizuisa's crisp hakama, silent as ever.

"Leave the boy alone, Hollow. You have tormented him and his counterpart too long already," barks the Zanpaktou spirit in her beautifully fierce voice. "Now, Hollow," she continues as her sword form appears in her hand, "you will learn the natural order of things—and that is Hollows are far beneath Soul Reapers and their Zanpaktou!"

"I _have_ a name, stupid _sword,_" he hisses in response, tossing Retsu to the side carelessly, his attention fully on the elegant, black-eyed blonde standing intrepidly before him.

"You may have a name, but it is one you have given to yourself and therefore holds no true meaning or significance, because no one has a need to use it other than yourself. A name's purpose is so you may be addressed by others, not to identify yourself with something you are clearly obsessed with."

"Is that right? So even though I have a name just as you do, a perfectly _fine_ name, mine means less simply because I don't have some brat barking it out all the time to give me orders? Is _that_ what you're saying?"

"Quiet! Your words are as empty as your heart. Save your breath, for you should savor it while it is still in you!"

Without another word, the two bring their weapons up and disappear—only to reappear a fraction of a second later, within inches of each other. Swords clash and spark for another short instant before they are gone again, and the cycle repeats.

Retsu struggles in the mud she was thrown into. It is just as terrifyingly suffocating as the rest of this damned place, so she forces herself to sit up despite the reproachful jabs in her chest. Attempting to stand up only causes everything below her knees to be sucked down deeper into the thick muck, however. The rest of her is coated with a film of the muddy water that she had hit first, before sinking into the viscous under layer. Her fractured ribs poke at her tender lungs with every exhale; and soon she is coughing up blood due to her effort to escape the sludge.

_At this rate, I'll drown in my own blood before I drown in this shithole. How peachy. _Tremors also begin to rattle her to the core as the bitter muck steals away her body heat. _Or of hypothermia,_ she adds darkly as her skin begins to turn numb instead of feel prickly from the cold wetness.

When the girl finally glances up, taking her eyes off of the brown slime, aqua eyes meet hazel—giving the teen quite a start. Shadows still encase the small boy's face; only his shimmering ocean eyes visible through the darkness. Earlier the girl had seen him with Meizuisa, but she has never laid eyes upon this mute, frightened child before that.

"Who are you?" she asks, her suspicion evident in her tone. The boy shrinks away from the girl and her accusing, harsh voice; his large, fearful eyes fixated on her.

"Wait!" she cries out desperately as her only chance of making it out of this death trap backs away from her. The shrill desperation of her cry only causes the boy to flinch.

"Wait," the teen calls again; softer, pleading. Pausing for a moment, the boy looks at her warily. "I need your help," she adds a bit grudgingly. She tries to keep her tone calm and gentle, despite her panic and frustration as the mud reaches her diaphragm. He continues to stare at her, unresponsive, but she assumes that is as close to recognition she will receive.

"Toss me a branch, or vine or something." _How very Indiana Jones-y,_ she thinks, marveling at the causticness of it all.A vine almost immediately unravels from the drenched canopy above, only needing a glance of the boy to be freed from its perch and swing down—whacking the girl in the face. "Hey! What the… Well, that works I suppose," she grumbles and she grasps the rough, stringy plant. The boy still stares at her—calculating? Fearing? Omniscient? She can't quite put her finger on it.

_One thing is for sure,_ she muses as she pulls hard on the vine, feeling the muck begin to release its death hold, _whatever is hell going on behind those eyes,_ the muck lets out a nasty sucking sound as it is forced to regurgitate her, _that gaze of his—is haunting._ One last pull! And her feet are up and out of the sludge.

Blood begins to dribble down the girl's chin as she coughs again. The boy just continues to stare; watching a drop of bright red blood leave her lips, trail down, and fall off her jaw. The brightly colored liquid lands on the forest floor below, only to get lost in the expanse of gray that is the undergrowth of this world.

_She looks like him,_ he thinks to himself as he observes her. She still stands in the middle of the muck, holding onto that vine and coughing, dying slowly. _She looks like… Daniel. But_—his eyes cautiously flick over to the battle between Hollow and Zanpaktou spirit, his gaze lingering on the former—_so does he. So… Can I trust her? Should I help her survive?_

_Do I allow her to live?_

To his surprise, when his aquamarine eyes return to the girl, she has reached solid ground near a patch of trees growing close: almost as if huddled together for warmth. The abstract metaphor causes a familiar pang in the boy's chest. Loneliness.

"Damn… Mud…" the young woman pants haggardly, clutching her side. "That Hollow… is going to pay for this," she grumbles, spite glinting in her brown-green eyes.

The boy regards her words and intentions. _So, she isn't akin to that accursed Hollow. But is the enemy of my enemy truly my friend?_ He again glances at the battle ensuing behind him, now in a clearing of green grass due to the presence of Meizuisa. Ribbons now are not the only red thing decorating her white shihakusho. A small flare of dread rises up within the boy.

_This is not a battle that can be lost._ Blue eyes return to the mud-coated girl surrounded by slick, skinny trees. _It seems I will need all the help I am able to acquire._

Small feet make their way over to the filthy, neonatal Soul Reaper. Almost everything about her screams _pathetic, unpracticed, naïve_… Except those eyes. They bore through the boy as he approaches her hunched form.

"What, kid? What's that damn look for?" she spits—literally, blood falls from her mouth as she speaks those vexed words. Resolve wavering, the boy takes a faltering step back; away from the girl with the maddened eyes. Away from that face that so resembles the beast that has used and abused him every day for over a decade. A face that sneered at him when he begged for the mercy of the innocent: a face that laughed when he had to watch them slaughtered with his _own_ power.

Retsu sees the fear spark in the boy's eyes as he steps away, and feels a pang of regret. _There I go with my damned mouth again._

"Listen, kid, I don't know what you want from me. All you've been doing is staring at me, and, y'know, it's just ticking me off, okay!" _So much for gentle._ The boy stays frozen, conflicted. There was no doubt this girl was frightening.

_But she wouldn't have been, twenty years ago. How can I have let a mere Hollow instill so much fear in me?_ Regaining his resolve, the boy brings his foot forward and stands tall. With quivering hands, he removes the heavy hood from his head, releasing wavy, midnight locks.

"I am the Zanpaktou spirit Ame no Yoru, formerly Ame no Hi. I inhibit the Zanpaktou formerly wielded by Daniel Nathan Akato," he introduces eloquently in his smooth, barely audible voice. "I am in need of your assistance, Rosalein." The girl stares at the boy in shock.

"So you _can_ talk!" she exclaims, astounded.

The cordial spirit is also taken aback. "Are you not more surprised that I know your name?"

"Oh," retorts the amateur Soul Reaper, somewhat deadpan. "Well then how do you know my name!" she shouts again, her astonishment returning all at once.

The boy sighs. "The witlessness of youth," he murmurs nostalgically.

"What was that, shorty?" snaps the teen in response.

Her absolute lack of tact and outlandish behavior shocks the Zanpaktou spirit once again.

"What are you doing rambling on about youth when you're what, nine years old? Ten maybe?"

Another stare of disbelief, then the 'boy' regains his composure. "Did I not just tell you? I am a _Zanpaktou spirit._ I have lived over a hundred of your lifetimes, girl. But now is not the time for this inconsequential banter. There is a dire situation at hand." He casts another glance at the clearing. Meizuisa, in all her strength and perfection, was beginning to waver. "I—_we _need your help," he finishes simply.

The girl finishes coughing blood onto her fist before responding. "Sorry, I'm not exactly up to helping anyone right now," she grumbles as she leans against a thick, damp trunk nearby. Suddenly he has approached her, having used a quick flash step. Hands glowing azure, he places them on her sides before she can even react.

_Ah._ It becomes easier for her to breath in a few short moments. The teen uses the lung capacity to scoff gruffly.

"So I guess this means that I owe you, huh?" she mutters, straightening her posture, no longer needed the dank foliage's support to stand. The boy doesn't respond, but he doesn't have to for her to understand.

"Fine, fine—I'll take care of the bastard for you."

With that, the callow Soul Reaper charges head on into the skirmish: obsidian blade appearing in her uncallused hand. Pure instinct puts her between the beast and the beauty, obsidian katana clashing with a teardrop-shaped dagger. Black and gold eyes rise in mild surprise.

"Miss me?" the teen snarls before slashing the demon away. "Doing okay there, Meizuisa?"

"Just fine, Rosalein. What do you think you're doing?"

"Looked like you were having a bit of trouble, just thought I'd jump in."

The older woman scoffs impertinently at the brash teenager. "You 'just thought you'd jump in,' you say," she repeats, tone laden with incredulity. "That sort of attitude is what will get you killed someday." She watches the Hollow before them skid to a stop, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"That is, if we get out of here alive, huh?" murmurs the teen, finishing the spirit's thought. A simple, grave nod is her response. Both lift their weapons: Retsu with her obsidian katana and Meizuisa with her released Shikai form, Meizuisa no Yajiri—Meizuisa's Arrowhead—and charge the fiend.

Ame no Yoru watches the two-on-one fight ensue; uncomfortably tucked away in the colorless flora, his heart still pounding. _How long has it been since I've spoken?_ He places a small hand on his pulsating chest._ It's been since…_

"_Show yourself!" The confident Zanpaktou rotated around, wielding his sword form in his left hand. "Outsiders are unwelcome here. Begone! Intruders will meet their death by my hands!" Insane laughter arises._

"_Cocky, aren't we? Unfortunately, this place is about to be, well… Under new management."_

_Blood. Sudden and spurting, there was hot liquid—gushing down his chest. His neck was split open, artery severed. A strangled, bubbling gasp only caused blood to be sucked into his lungs. Darkness._

And it has been dark here since that abrupt moment. Always night, the sun ceased to rise. Light no longer caused the mist to twinkle, the flowers to bloom. Everything has been left to drown in the cold, the wet, the dark. And, from inside here, there has been nothing Ame no Hi could do to change that. But it seems his day has finally come.

Steel clashes against obsidian with rapid blows. Years of kendo training help the much younger of the two combatants keep up with the less trained with the sword, but much stronger Hollow before her. Both run off pure instinct as they clash in the darkness of the rainy night.

"Be careful, Retsu," Meizuisa whispers to herself as she watches the battle; holding a bleeding wound and catching her breath.

_Being _careful_ won't win me this,_ snarls the girl as a mental response as she struggles to press back on the beast's tear-shaped dagger that he bears down upon her. Finally managing to parry his blade, the teen jumps back: giving herself a moment to gather her thoughts. But the Hollow does not allow such pleasantries. Steel slices through flesh, creating a flaming sensation from left shoulder to right hip. Something snaps inside of Retsu then; feeling that blade open her skin where her older sister had _burned_ her.

Expression hardening, the teen holds her curved katana in front of her with both hands. Mahogany glows in the girl's hazel eyes before shooting out of her being and into the sky. Screaming passionately, the girl dashes forward. Swords clash harder and louder than any previous blow. Chikara is mildly disconcerted but unperturbed.

"That all, girl? Is this all you have?" he mocks condescendingly, putting little effort to keep her blade at bay.

Energy surges from the girl more violently; wild tendrils go thrashing into the air. Obsidian begins pushing back steel, bringing both closer to the Hollow's colorless face. As the teen's power continues to increase, he feels himself becoming weaker.

_What…is this! I can feel my spiritual energy draining out of me! How is this…possible!_ Wet, slick forest floor meets Chikara's knee as he is forced down to keep the midnight blade from cleaving him in two. Sweat beads on his forehead for the first time in many decades. Finally he manages to swat away her blade, and then quickly use Sonido to put space between the two.

_I don't understand. Not five minutes ago this _child_ was swinging her sword around uselessly at trees. Now…_

Energy pulsates and crackles around the teenager as she calmly approaches the centuries-old Hollow. Hazel eyes are now consumed by mahogany and madness. Meizuisa watches, seeing her greatest fear manifest before her: a fear that she has worked day and night for years to keep from happening—and yet, here it is, unfolding right before her eyes.

Black obsidian glows brownish-red as it expands in the young girl's hand; becoming the oversized arrowhead known as Meizuisa no Yajiri.

"Wait…" murmurs the female sword spirit. But her words are unheard by the teen being consumed by power—and she loses consciousness before being able to call out again. The boyish spirit soon follows suit, his energy sapped away by the unaware teen.

The Hollow senses the two sword spirits fall. His mustard eyes widen infinitesimally. Comprehension hits him fractions of a second before that now-all-too-familiar obsidian blade hits his dagger once again. Red suddenly fills his vision as it bursts forth from the novice Soul Reaper: almost as if she is on _fire._

As soon as the word hits his mind, he smells smoke. A fire has miraculously begun in the waterlogged forest—and in the teenager's eyes. Chikara can only watch as the teen kicks away his blade and runs obsidian through his chest: all the while, expressionless.

"Dirty…cheater," mutters the Hollow, spluttering up blood. "I would say that I have lost… But judging by the callousness in your eyes… It seems you are the one that has lost…yourself," he finishes spitefully. Blazing red eyes return his narrow gaze, impenitent. In seconds, those narrow eyes are gone, fragmented, along with the rest of his body. The world goes white.

"Daniel? Daniel! Stay with me now, damn it! What's wrong? Come on!" Araeanne sits in the middle of escalating chaos, bloody from defending her beloved brother, only to now watch him suffer from some injury she cannot see. His brows draw together in pain, his skin pallid. The young woman touches his sunken cheek with her shaking, bloody hand; tears again streaming down her face.

"Why are you hurting?" she whispers, stroking his cheek as if trying to coax out an answer—a cure.

"Her _power,_" he rasps, clutching his sister's rough rawhide jacket. She places her hand over his, gaze boring into his face: desperate, helpless.

"What do you mean? Who?"

"_Retsu,_" he pants unevenly. "Not…her fault… Power…consumes…like _fire._" The boy grimaces, very much feeling that fire within his chest: consuming his life as fuel. Jade eyes widen immensely; more from dismay than disbelief. "It's…all right. Better…to die free…than live…a slave."

"No," growls the young woman, squeezing her brother's hand a bit too hard. "You're going to live. I'll make sure of that. You're not dying. Not again. _Not again._ I'm not letting her take you away from me. Not again. _Never_ again."

Daniel stares at his manic sister with sad, chocolate eyes. "It's almost over," he whispers. Before the woman can retort, crimson energy shoots out of the boy's chest. Amidst the surge, Retsu appears: her back to them. In one hand she holds Meizuisa's Arrowhead, the other Amenoyoru's dagger form—which she now knows as Suiei.

Ari checks her brother first before looking at her sister a second longer. Once she sees his chest rise and fall a few times, she gives her attention back to the inert figure before her. Eyebrow quirking, she states in annoyance, "Hey, idiot, what are you going to do; stand there all day and collect flies?"

Just as the words leave the woman's mouth, it is left bone dry: the moisture sapped from it. Slowly, the younger of the two turns her head—blood red eyes bore straight through the elder sister. Singed, wiry brunette locks flow haphazardly from the teen's scalp, following the wisps of crimson energy emanating from her. Ari can hardly recognize this girl standing before her.

Obsidian begins to rise from the ground as the teen prepares to strike down these living things before her. Instinct drives her to destroy: but a voice rings out, fatigued but firm—_Protect them, Retsu. They are your family. They are all you have left: protect them. Do not hurt them. Do not stand there and allow them to die. There is danger here, Retsu. They are in danger._

_Protect them._

Emotion finally breaks across the teen's rigid expression. Looking at the two bedraggled forms before her on the pavement sets her resolve.

"I won't…let you down," she murmurs mechanically. Gripping her broad obsidian blade and tear-shaped dagger, the teen blasts off from the ground towards the nearest cluster of howling Hollows: ready and eager to kill. Blood-red energy saps the life away from many of the surrounding creatures before any taste the steel of her dagger or the volcanic rock of her sword.

"What _is_ that power?" whispers Ari in fascinated horror, her mouth still uncomfortably dry. Masses of beasts begin to die around her; twice as many sucked dry of their life energy than those cut down by her blades.

"That…is the true nature of her power."

"Daniel! You're okay…" Ari sighs in relief.

"I am. My spiritual energy restored itself," he says lightly. "That is one of the few things I can do." He laughs softly. Jade eyes lock onto him, then smile—though their owner's lips do not follow suit. The boy glances over at his twin in action; soon his elder sister's gaze follows. Both watch as she hacks down dozens more Hollows.

"It's like she's getting stronger," Ari mutters uncomfortably. _Where the hell was this strength when Daniel was taken by that Hollow? Or when our younger siblings died in that fire? Stupid dumbass._

"It may seem that way… But it isn't true. _Her_ power isn't increasing. The power that she is storing is, though. She can absorb the spiritual energy from anyone nearby, increasing the power at her disposal. And when she has more power to use, she can absorb even more energy. In that sense, he power increases exponentially…"

"So, you're saying her power sucks the life right out of others."

"I am. And…she can't control it."

"So that's why you're like this. Weak: taken over by a damned Hollow," spits the fragile boy's older sister, hate dripping off every word. He stays quiet. "That damn power of hers, stole your energy away, didn't it?" The boy remains quiet, not looking into her spiteful eyes. "That damn power of hers, it's…it's…_evil._ It kills senselessly in order to gain power—hell. Sounds damn evil to me."

The air grows quiet—the atmosphere is free of Hollows. Retsu is one of the only two that remain in the sky. Ari blinks in disbelief.

_All of those Hollows…gone. Just in the time it took for Daniel and I to talk: all of them…gone._

Daniel stares at the blazing silhouette in the sky that is his twin. Her last words rings in his mind: _"I won't…let you down."_ That power of hers, evil as it may be, is all she has to protect those that matter to her. _Rae-Rae and I… That's all she has left,_ he realizes. Her power may be evil, but…

"It's a necessary evil," he whispers.


	7. Chapter 7: The Way to Hell

Chapter 7: The Way to Hell

"My Lord, our readings indicate that the awakening is fully underway. Shall we proceed with the plans?"

Sosuke Aizen has his back to his subordinate, watching the wall-sized screen before him. _Hollow-like power, unlike a Visored, though without being a Hollow. What an interesting subject. No wonder the Gotei 13 had all data about the Akato family eradicated._

"Sire?" queries the simple Arrancar. It is young: its mask is still almost entirely intact. His master takes his time in responding.

"Not right away. Let us allow the reality of her siblings' _death _to ferment a bit longer." The stone-cold entity turns his head slightly to give his inferior a side glance. "I assume they are being kept well, as I requested?"

The inclination in his tone towards accusation and threat startles the servant. "O-of course, M-master Aizen. They are isolated from the others, are being fed once a day and watered as often as needed."

"Very well then. You are dismissed."

The diminutive Arrancar doesn't have to be told twice: he quickly turns and strides out of his master's chamber. Aizen returns his full attention to the images flashing across the wall. Blazing red energy, its death-inducing touch. Dull interest swirls languidly behind the man's narrowed, deep brown eyes. It has been a few years since such a being roused his curiosity as it does now.

_Perhaps more can be gained from this than a simple diversion?_ he contemplates, running his index finger along the armrest of the unadorned throne beneath him, watching the scene unfold before his eyes. The Akato girl, devouring Hollows like a genuine Arrancar would—_It is surely a power not of her own. But then, whose is it?_

The puzzle aspect of the whole situation is what truly interests him. He watches Hollows wither away at the girl's mere presence until they are all gone: their energy fueling her increasing power.

_It must have something to do with her family's history… The exile. Possessing a demonic power such as this surely would result in the removal from the ever-pure, ever-_controlling_ Soul Society._

One corner of the man's lips lifts in a miniscule smirk.

_But how does a family of gatekeepers suddenly become…_ Suddenly it clicks in his mind.

_Demonic,_ he repeats the earlier used adjective in his mind. _Demonic gatekeepers…_

His smirk broadens slightly.

_Gatekeepers of Hell. No wonder they couldn't be trusted to watch over the all-important Spirit King._

"This inconsequential girl just may be more useful than I had originally anticipated," the powerful absconder murmurs to himself as he continues to watch said girl on his wall.

Retsu stands before her final enemy. Fiery energy covers her body, moving restlessly, violently, begging to be released. Once hazel, now crimson eyes stare at the orange-haired Soul Reaper mere yards away from her. Without a second thought, the girl grips her weapons and charges forward with a shrill battle cry. Ichigo Kurosaki has just enough time to lift his sleek black blade to block her unexpected, ferocious attack. After the Hollows had all been sublimated, he figured the battle was won and over with. But now some new, mysterious—then he catches sight of the girl's face.

"_Excuse me, what do you think you're doing interrupting my class?"_

"_Showing up. This is my new class."_

"_You mean that you're my new student?" They share a glance._

"_Sure lady."_

"_That's Ms. Ochi to you, Retsu Akato."_

"_I'm pretty sure you haven't noticed, but that girl they're talking about has substantial spiritual pressure…"_

"…_What? And what do you mean you're sure I hadn't noticed?"_

"_Let's not argue right now. I'm just letting you know because now it's more likely for a Hollow to go after her."_

"_Right…"_

_Fire. Screams. "Sarah! Aaron!" Such a distinct and desperate cry. A cry without hope, yet not lacking in passion. "No…" She had muttered when he told her she was the only one it that burning building. "No!"_

The sudden realization gives the teen an immense shock. _The new student—the orphanage. It's, it's that girl who was looking for_—A flash of obsidian, right before his eyes, pulls him out of his cogitation. Luckily, he reacts fast enough to flash step away. But the attacks keep coming and he has to quickly get into a rhythm to block each one, as well as dodge that dagger of hers.

Blocking her large, obsidian blade raises a question in his mind: _Wait a second._ He narrowly avoids being stabbed in the gut by Amenoyoru. Brown eyes take a moment to catch the wisps of a traditional black shihakusho beneath the blaze of red energy. A Soul Reaper's uniform.

_How could…_

A slice across his chest shatters the teen's train of thought. Blood spurts from the opening and the girl doesn't hesitate a second. He has to react fast to bring his sword up in time to keep her from cleaving him in two.

"How…" he grunts, pushing against the dull side of his sword with both hands to keep her two pressing blades away from his skull. "How are you a Soul Reaper!?" There's no way he wouldn't have noticed it earlier. Besides, she seemed too well adapted. When Rukia came to this world, she hardly knew what to do. But that would mean…

Suddenly the girl's irises loll back into her head half way and her face breaks out into an unattractive, toothy smile.

"Soul Reaper?" she squeals hysterically, causing Ichigo to recoil slightly. "No, see, it may look like it, because of that _other_ one in this cluttered dump this girl calls a soul. But really, this idiot was never supposed to become a _Soul Reaper," _she/it spits venomously, "because she is an _Akato._ And she was supposed to inherit my powers just like all of her ancestors before her—the important ones at least. But _no,_ apparently human sacrifices became old-fashioned, or _faux pas_, or whatever you ridiculous humans think." Ichigo, still holding blades at bay, adorns a shocked and mildly disturbed expression, but is ignored.

"So I was stuck in here for a while," languorously continues the amalgam, "and, well, I guess I fell asleep and I mean _hardcore_ sleep. Practically hibernation. That's when the stupid _Zanpaktou_ took hold of the place. But see, I woke up recently, and as you can tell I didn't exactly get up on the right side of the bed. But I'm feeling _much_ better now, after devouring _all_ those souls. See, I can even make her talk now, did you notice?" The carrot-top watches the unnatural way the girl's mouth moves, as if she was a puppet. He simply stares.

"I'll take that as a yes," she chides.

"What…are you?" the boy manages to utter.

"What am I, you ask?" The humanoid girl cackles: an unearthly sound. Ichigo grimaces slightly, and then a little more so when sweat begins to drip down his spine. She has yet to cease pressing her blades down upon his, even as a wide, detached grin stretches her face unnaturally.

"I could be a lot of things… A demon… A ghost… Some evil spirit… You humans have a limited understanding of the spiritual world, beings that you can't _see_ it nor are a part of it. You have a slight advantage, being a shoddy stand-in. But, to make things simple, I'll just let you know _who_ I am." The demon leans Retsu's face in close to Ichigo's, that grin still slapped on her face. "My name is Hinoshi. Means 'fiery death.' Suits me pretty well, actually."

Hinoshi leans in closer, keeping Retsu's eyes steady, blood-red, depthless, utterly unfeeling.

"Know why?" it makes her whisper. Ichigo's hard stare does not waver. "Because…that's what I do. I kill the innocent and send them to their _fiery deaths_… Know _why?_" Hinoshi questions in almost a whisper, dragging out the last word, making Retsu's breath lightly graze the redhead's cheek.

"Because we're amassing an army… For the Great War that is to come between _their_ world, and mine. Oh? Confused are you? Thought Hell was just a place _they_ sent the bad ones? Well, yes, it is, but it's not as if we cease to exist once we enter. We spend all eternity there, with nothing to do but let our hate for those who sentenced us to eternal damnation to _fester_," it hisses ominously.

"And do you know what happens when murderers and sinners and criminal masterminds have festering hate? Well, we want War, of course. Recruiting was much easier back in the day of human sacrifices… We've fallen on hard times lately, as you can imagine, with the 'maturing of society' bullshit that's been going on over the past few centuries." It sighs wantonly.

"It became even worse once _they_ discovered the true nature of my agents, the Akato family, this past century. There were so few opportunities for so long that, I, well, fell asleep, as I said earlier. Ended up drifting into this child's body as she was conceived, like any other, run-of-the-mill soul would. Embarrassing really." Another sigh.

"Oh? Are you wondering just who the Akato are? You are, I can tell by that look on your face. See, the Akato family was a gifted bunch. They could pinch space and travel place to place instantly by means of a Red Door. Naturally, they were the servants of the Spirit King. With such an ability they could transport the King anywhere, anytime: especially to a place of safety during times of danger. That which drew the King to these people drew me to them too. And do you know what I did when I found them? Well, do you?" The carrot-top only glares, scowling at the anomaly.

"No? Well then, I'll tell you. I gave them an even more extraordinary ability!" it crows, its voice rising. "I gave them the power to open the Gate to Hell! And with this power they were able to assist me in smuggling souls into the Underworld!" Suddenly, its mood turns sour. "But now, with them having dispersed during my, ahem, leave of absence, I have to start all over! And, have you guessed yet? Huh? Have you? Well I'll tell you!" Hinoshi practically screeches in the teenager's young, sweating face.

"I'm starting with this one right here! I'll make sure she gets the power she needs to be my Gatekeeper! She'll gain power just like a Hollow would, by devouring those too weak to stand against her! And, you know what else? Well? Do you? No!? Well, I'm going to make sure that once I leave this body of hers, she won't remember herself enough to ever do or be anything else! Not human, and especially not a scummy _Soul Reaper!_" Finishing its speech, the demon throws said teenage girl's head back to cackle maniacally.

Finally fed up with the crazed spirit, brown eyes are narrowed.

"Damn, do you…ever…_shut up?_" hisses the substitute Soul Reaper through his teeth. With a frustrated yell, the teen pushes away from the fiend with a blast of clear blue energy. Laughing, the possessed Retsu jumps back easily, running the edges of her blades together like a showy _teppanyaki_ chef.

"Will you be one of my newest recruits to my army?" the spirit sneers sadistically. Hinoshi has Retsu lower her weapons.

"Perhaps. But not today. This one is not ready, not yet. But…she is waking up. So, until next time, _Soul Reaper…_"

As Hinoshi's last hissing words leave Retsu's mouth, the red energy billowing around her and glowing in her eyes also leave. The once-menacing aura filling the girl disappears, leaving a drained and frail frame in its place.

Abruptly, she drops out of the sky. Swearing, the young Soul Reaper charges forward to catch the girl with his free arm, clutching her to his chest. He slowly lowers back to the earth, his mind reeling.

"Sister?" a delicate voice rasps from below. Ichigo glances over, his brown eyes catching amber. "Sister?" repeats a small, sickly thin boy encased in the arms of a tan, muscular woman. Her jade green eyes look at Ichigo sharply as he lands near them.

"Wh-what happened?" queries the boy, his amber eyes wide with shock and worry. His elder sister holds him more securely against her.

_Are these the two she was looking for in the fire? _"I…" the substitute Soul Reaper glances at the sky where the confrontation happened. "I'm not…sure, really," he admits quietly.

"How can-? But is she…?" The boy eyes the blood on his twin's clothing.

"Is wha-? Oh! No! That's my blood," the teen responds lightly; trying a small, unconvincing smile.

"Oh! Well that's good! But not really! I mean—it's bad! Are you okay!?" panics the younger boy, looking even more disheveled than before.

"_Enough_ of this. You," snarls the young woman, "just set her down and get out of here. I can't have you scaring my little brother like this."

"Ari—" protests her brother.

"What the hell? I wasn't—" insists the carrot-top.

"_Now._" Araeanne barks forcefully. With a grunt of irritation and a scowl, the teen sets down Retsu's limp body beside her two siblings before turning and taking off into the air.

"Rae-Rae…" Daniel sighs. "That was rude…"

"Well, he was making you upset. See? You're calm now."

"Well, I guess but—"

"Hnngh…" groans the inert teenager on the pavement. Daniel and Ari continue to stare at her as she struggles to regain consciousness. Suddenly, sparks of spiritual energy radiate from the girl. Daniel inhales sharply: the energy is familiar to him. A man materializes beside the teen; white shihakusho, aqua belt, yellow tassels, midnight black hair—wide, deep ocean eyes.

"Ame…no Yoru?" whispers the boy. The man looks at him, beaming.

"No, Daniel. I am Ame no Hi—Rainy Day. The sun has broken through the clouds in our world. The demon that had overtaken us has been defeated," responds the man proudly.

"My true form has been restored and my power has returned fully. With it, I have locked the Hollow away, inside of me. He will never harm you again." Ame no Hi smiles at the child that he has grown so close to. Suffering for so many years, together, has created a bond between them deeper and more profound than simple friendship. It is a bond truly worthy for one between a Zanpaktou and his master. They smile at each other.

"She…helped greatly. Your twin," clarifies the spirit, glancing down at the girl on the ground. "Her will is strong, but…" he trails off, looking at his master, "there is something very…_wrong_, Daniel." His oceanic eyes shimmer, restless.

"What do you mean, something is wrong?" questions the boy, trepidation tingeing his tone.

"It is difficult to properly explain," begins the spirit, "except that, well, there is another being inside of her. Another being so powerful that I could not lay eyes upon it. I warn you now so that if—or when—this being emerges, you will know what has happened," he finishes grimly. Daniel merely nods.

"Thank you, Ame no Hi." He smiles wearily at his companion, receiving an equally weary but empathetic smile in return.

"Let us coalesce now, Daniel," advises the man, reaching his hand out to his master. The boy nods and grasps the outstretched hand, causing his Zanpaktou spirit to glow and, eventually, disappear. Daniel gasps as if being born again: his strength returning to him. Ari stares.

"So… What we just saw—that evil power. There's something else, causing that?" Ari mutters, perplexed. "And you're a Soul Reaper too, huh? Guess I'm the true reject of the family," she finishes discontentedly, causing her brother to give a small smile.

"Ugh…" groans the teen on the ground as she tries to open her eyes. The world is still a bit too bright for her, but she manages to sit up and rub her head. "What…"

"Rosalein?" whispers Daniel tentatively, escaping his sister's grip. His twin looks over, squinting.

"Wha—you!?" she bellows in shock, mistaking him for the Hollow, Chikara. He continues to crawl over until he is sitting beside her.

"Rose, my name is Daniel. I," he pauses to catch his breath, "I'm your brother. Your twin, and, I know you probably don't believe—"

"No, no, I do believe you," she interrupts, holding a bloody hand up. "You're the fourth sibling to suddenly pop into my life. First twin though," she responds blearily, but humorously. The boy beams brightly.

"It's…good to meet you," he breathes timidly. "There was a time that I never thought this moment would happen, and there was also a time that I never wanted this moment to happen." He looks intently at his sister; she holds his gaze.

"A lot has transgressed these past few years, for all of us—" he glances at Ari, "—though our stories are all very different. We should…go, get to know each other." Araeanne's expression instantly becomes sour.

She bites back her immediate response, instead going with, "I think I know enough about my _darling_ sister, so I think I'll pass. I have to get back to training soon anyway or I'm going to start regressing. You know how it is."

"Rae-Rae—"

"I'm sorry Daniel. You may have forgiven her but it's still hard for me." The sisters exchange glances. "Maybe someday," she puts simply before turning away. "Take care, Daniel," she says to him, very seriously, before giving her sister a suspicious and somewhat wary glance over her shoulder.

"I'll be around," she states both as a promise and a warning. And with that, the ruffian faces forward and strides off without a hitch in her step.

"I should have reasoned with her more before saying it outright," the boy scolds himself, sighing, as he watches his sister leave him as suddenly as she found him.

"No, it's not your fault. It's been a hell of a day. I think we all need some time to process things. Besides, I'm not all that ready to talk to her either," grumbles the teen, rubbing the sore spot by her collarbone.

"Let's just, get home," she affirms as the pain of the day begins to catch up with her.

"Lead the way," her twin responds softly.

She does, and it doesn't take long for the two to fall into stride with each other: without even noticing.

At least they are out in the middle of nowhere, by the remains of the old Sukari Building, near the train tracks. The buildings had made it out well enough, just a few holes here and there, but it wouldn't have been very well for his friends to be seen using their powers by the general public. At least there is one less thing for Ichigo to worry about as he tries to determine whether his companions are dead or alive.

"Orihime! Chad! Uryu!" he calls out, probing the eerie silence with his booming voice.

"Ichigo!" a feminine voice responds, weakly. The carrot-top doesn't hesitate to follow the familiar voice to find its source. Around a few corners and over a few pieces of rubble, he finds her—no, all of them. Chad and Uryu sit beneath the healing orange glow of Orihime's Soten Kisshun, their injuries slowly disappearing.

"There you all are," he sighs, relief thick in his tone. "I didn't realize you were here at all until after all the Hollows were gone, I—"

"Pretty typical of you, Kurosaki," teases Uryu as he wipes his bloody, but now healed hands on the ground. "Unobservant as always."

"Wha—hey!" the carrot-top bites back with irritation. "I was just going to say that you—"

"That we shouldn't have come, because it's dangerous and we're weak, right? You're not the only one that can fight, Ichigo," Uryu chides a bit sharply.

"I know, but—" he begins to retort, but is cut off again.

"No, he's right, Ichigo," Orihime mumbles, barely over a whisper, but still manages to surprise said teen. "We're not," she begins strongly, but loses confidence in standing up to him, and finishes lamely, "uhm, you know, children."

"I'm not saying that you're children," he bites back, not looking at either of them. Orihime flinches slightly and Uryu scowls, while Chad remains silent. But the carrot-top looks back at them, his eyes softening along with his tone. "I just don't want any of you hurt—I mean, really hurt," he clarifies in a mutter. He holds back on his thoughts on how it always seems to be his fault they're in harm's way.

"We understand," responds Uryu, also holding back on his thoughts on how it was _their_ choice and _their_ business what they risked their lives for and why, when, where. The Quincy could go on and on about this, but he tells himself, _No sense arguing with someone as stubborn and thick-headed as Ichigo._ Especially because the sun is already kissing the horizon, signaling the approach of early evening.

"Let's go," Chad says simply. They all nod in agreement before setting out for wherever home may be, each taking the burdens of their minds with them.


End file.
